Summer Reading

Wellness is not just about nutrition, supplements and exercise. Wellness includes the mind, body and spirit.   So as we sit on the beach this summer with our sizzling read, I’d like to share with you some of my summer reading and why I find it particularly “hot” these days.   To quote one of my reads:  “Understanding on a scientific level how cells respond to your thoughts and perceptions illuminates the path to personal empowerment” Dr. Bruce Lipton  We are not victims to our genes.  This is a limiting, antiquated and disempowering belief, similar to the antiquated belief that the world was flat.  Science has known this for over a decade but this has not trickled down to us layman.   The science of epigenetics is proving this.   I am reading about the “new biology”  the science that tells us that our fully conscious mind can be more powerful than the “nature versus nurture” argument. Unfortunately the conventional medical establishment has not yet integrated this knowledge of cellular biology, quantum physics or nutrition into medical schools.  But several Drs are leading the pack. I am also reading Love & Survival by Dr. Neal Barnard who cites years of medical research proving that love, laughter and connection are far more powerful than any modern drugs alone.  But my favorite summer read is “Healing Essence” by Mitchell Gaynor, MD Medical Director, Cornell Center for Complementary & Integrative Medicine.  As an Oncologist he has learned first hand the power of healing from within.  He writes, “Modern medicine tends to regard healing as coming only from outside of us, overlooking the fact that we all have innate healing mechanisms, giving us the capability to be more than bystanders waiting for drugs and surgery to cure us.  Adversity usually forces people to confront reality-and to do so without pretenses and other creations of the ego.  Someone with serious illness usually has little concern for money, prestige, or position.  And healing begins with the realization that with vulnerability comes a freedom from many of the illusions to which most of us are so attached. Many of my patients have used their own experiences with pain and vulnerability to make enormous leaps in their spiritual and psychological growth, and this relates closely to the entire healing process.” ESSENCE is a guide for healing fear and includes diet, yoga and meditation.

Dana’s Pet Scan is Clean!!!

I knew it would be, because she decided it would be.  Dana chose the road less traveled.  Twice, first she eliminated the tumors that were displacing her trachea, strangling her juggler vein and causing an enlarged heart.  She did this through low dose chemo, coupled with wheat grass shots, a raw vegan diet, colonics, probiotics, yoga and meditation.  Then she went home to her lifestyle but worried it wasn’t enough.  The lumps returned.  Three doctors said the treatment was effective, just not enough long enough.

Her HMO Doctor told us that had we not done this crazy thing, he could have had an 85-90% chance of success.  Now she had 10% with radiation or 65% with a complete bone marrow transplant.  Talk about a punch in the stomach, talk about disempowerment, talk about FEAR!  Paralyzing fear…..

Dana chose the road less taken again.  She took the 10% success rate or radiation, because the doctor felt it would eradicate the tumors but his fear was it would keep the cancer away for ever.   Dana said, “I think I have some control over that”

Halleluah Dana!  Shout from the rooftops!  Because that is what Mind Body Medicine does.  It helps you become empowered.  To reach the inner strength that can create disease or heal thyself.

I’m told that you are not cured from cancer, not healed until you no longer have fear.  And yes, you can embrace the fear and find peace and joy from within. 

An Energy Healing Experience

As a nurse, certified holistic health coach and yoga teacher I believe that we have an innate ability to heal from within. I work with my clients towards rediscovering this empowerment.  I recently spent 10 weeks with my daughter undergoing an integrative cancer treatment program and in my earlier blog I wrote about the 25 Lessons Learned http://www.carpediemwellnessorg.blogspot.com/ I’d like to expand on lesson #10 “The Rest is Energy”  

Prior to this journey with my daughter and a retreat I recently participated in, I knew very little about vibrational or energy healing.  At this retreat I addressed the question, “Can art influence healing? “ 

Since then, I have been fascinated with the study of vibration and energy.  I’ve learned that walking creates vibration and that vibration moves nutrients to the bones and muscles for energy.  Every vertebra on the spine has a different tone or vibration when struck with a tuning fork.  Sound is the most primal vibration.  But, “What about Art?”  Do colors have their own vibration and their own effect on energy?  Can artwork truly be healing?  How does what we see, hear, think and feel affect the energy centers in our body?

Albert Einstein said, “Everything is Energy. The Field is the sole governing agent of the particle.”  Translated, energy controls everything including our bodily processes. More recently, folks like Richard Gerber MD, author of Vibrational Medicine and Deepak Chopra, MD are bringing quantum physics into holistic medical practices. Dr. Chopra states that the essential nature of the physical world is not material; everything is energy and information. 

Western Medicine has been using energy as a diagnostic tool for years; X-rays CAT Scans, Ultrasound, EEG, and EKG’s visually show us fields where both health and dis-ease reside.  Pacemakers and magnetic therapy for kidney stones are examples of using energy as modern medicine healing tools.  Subtle energetic systems in the body coordinate all electrophysiological and hormonal functions.  It is primarily from these subtle areas that health and illness originate.  

Ancient traditions have recognized the importance of these vibrational energies found in nature, in crystals, plants, music and herbs.  Contemporary healing modalities utilizing vibration include: homeopathic remedies, energy healing – reiki, quantum touch, healing touch, gem and crystal elixirs or stones, sound healing – chanting, singing or music, bio-electric or physio-acoustic (vibrational) devices, magnetic healing, psychic healing and chromo therapy or color therapy.  Acupuncture and acupressure work to restore the flow of energy by clearing blockages.

This is a worthy area of study considering that vibrations have a direct influence on the function of the cell and its organelles.  The simple act of walking sends vibrations to the brain and messages to the body to move calcium into the bones.  This is why weight-bearing exercises are so beneficial to the bones.

The use of vibrational therapy is a safe and empowering process.  It is safe because it supports the body’s innate wisdom of handling energy without the depleting chemicals or surgical tools used by conventional medicine.  It is empowering because it works with our body’s innate wisdom.  Children do not need to learn how to dance.  Music and rhythm is both innate and powerful.  It is primal, similar to our body’s ability to turn glucose into energy.  It happens without conscious thought.  In fact, our conscious thought can disrupt our natural rhythm as well as our digestion and other bodily functions. Our ego tells us we don’t know how to dance.  Our stress often goes directly to our muscles, sending messages to our conscious mind that we are in physical pain.  This is a clear example of how the symptoms of dis-ease are the body’s way of communicating to our conscious mind.

This is why yoga dance is such a powerful healing tool.  Sound and vibrations go directly to the tissues at a cellular level.  Thoughts and hormones are slower processes.  Vibrational energy works directly with the source, with gravity, with circadian rhythms.  It is a logical remedy for the deepening failure of mainstream medicine in handling chronic stress.  Vibrational medicine works directly “with the issues in the tissues” bypassing our analytical mind, the mental “gatekeeper”.   The vibrations go directly to our senses; nothing is lost in translation so it is less likely to be adulterated.  There is no “food for thoughts”.   It is the final step of all healing interventions.

Thoughts and emotions are powerful energy patterns.   This is why this poem on the essence of destiny is so powerful. “Watch your thoughts, for they become words.  Choose your words, for they become actions.  Understand your actions, for they become habits.  Study your habits, for they will become your character.  Develop your character, for it becomes your destiny.”

Love and particularly self-love is the most powerful of all.  To quote Albert Einstein again, “All is Love, we are one.  He experiences himself, his thoughts and experiences as something separated from the rest- a kind of optical illusion of consciousness.”  To quote the yoga sutras, “The cause of all human suffering is in not seeing things the way they truly are.”  When we live in our conscious ego mind we are not conscious of the infinite power to heal from within. It is only when we are in tune with nature and with our self that we can access the infinite power of the universe.  Self- love is the first to elapse in chronic disease and the first to be re-experienced in self-healing. 

How then, do we access this inner wisdom, this inner self love? 

We recently held a special retreat organized by Eli Ammerman, a musician and sound therapist that provided us with a taste of the healing power of sound, live foods, and vibrational energy.  http://carpediemwellness.org/events.  Retreats can provide ourselves the gift of time and permission to be “unplugged”, to commune with nature, to meditate and in this case to experience the power of vibrational healing through several modalities including sound, energetic living foods, movement and color.

I was privileged to provide a guided meditation and opportunity to test the healing power of art.  As I’ve said, this was new territory for me.  I’ve often heard that colors have vibrations that can have a positive and healing effect on us but have had very little exposure to color as a healing art.   I’ve enjoyed the occasional trip to art museums and witnessed the calm from the experience, but have had no formal study.  During our recent stay in Arizona, I was drawn to buy a book on Color Intuition; Master the Energy of Color. The author explains that intuition is separate from the logical or cognitive mind. Intuition is the vehicle that connects to the universal mind or collective consciousness. It is an insight that comes to you without any reasoning or analysis. If you have to think it into existence, then it is not intuition.  It is only through intuition that we can access the “energetic constructs that make up our atomic world.”   Laura Alden Kamm, the author goes on to say that, “When you are able to work with your energy in this way, fear, suspicion and anxiety step out of the way- and are replaced by clarity, peace, and a deeper knowing of what is forthcoming in your life-and a plan for navigating through such struggles manifests”.   This past year, I have been focused on accessing and re-learning to trust my intuition, which has been a powerful influence for me during my daughter’s cancer treatment.

In Arizona, I bought a copy of Spirituality & Health magazine and saw an article titled, “PAMELA TURCZYN: Art in Support of Energy Healing”, and so I contacted the artist about our retreat. Pamela has created an enchanting series of healing Mandala’s with guided meditations designed to support the embodiment of vibrations essential to wellbeing.  She uses a combination of sacred geometry found in nature and colors to provide beautiful art work which appears to “move” when the gaze is softly focused.   Pamela agreed to contribute her work to the retreat and together we created a survey to witness and document the effects on the group. 

The Mandala and meditation that we chose was titled Infinite Surrender: of Ego/of Fear; Infinite Trust: in God.  I thought this was appropriate for me personally, as well as for a group that was together for the first time.  Surrendering our need to control external forces, our ego and sense of self is the first step towards inner healing.

Most of the group had a regular meditation practice and the goal of the survey was to ascertain whether this art and accompanying meditation would be beneficial to use in healing centers.  We asked a total of 15 questions that included perceived and actual length of meditation and whether the experience differed from their normal meditation.  All responded that use of the mandala enhanced their meditative experience. There were positive responses to the image and the colors as well as a common observation of movement in the mandala.  The physical responses noted included having a sense of calm, softness and relaxation and a “softening of the heart. “  

One said that “it provided another avenue for meditation and I really enjoyed it.”  Another said, “Yes, it’s a beautiful and spiritual visual, very lovely”.  Others felt a steady outward radiation (similar to the flow of the mandala).

When asked if the mandala would provide a supportive atmosphere in your environment, even if you were not looking at it most of the time, one responded, “Yes, I also think it would help my father who has Alzheimer’s disease keep a sense of serenity”.

The survey also asked if the experience reduced pain or increased relaxation.  For those who felt discomfort prior to the meditation, all of them documented reduced pain and increased relaxation.

Last but not least, participants were asked if they experienced a sense of connection to their higher mind/self and or received any insights or messages during the experience.  Seven out of eight responded yes with comments such as, “Yes, acceptance, love, surrender…a letting go” and, “A rush of love and gratitude, thank you” and “I felt a sense of comforting parental support and nurturing; especially a Mother’s love. Like things are all OK”

The group consisted of three MD’s, three with PhD’s, two sound energy healers, an RN, a raw food chef and two health counselors.  All agreed that the art and mandala would benefit healing centers.

Finally, we had one more tool to measure our sense of surrender and the accompanying peace and calm, which was an aura chakra photo.  You can see my photo taken when we arrived at the retreat and then again on Sunday after our two days of positive vibrational energy.  You can see how my heart, throat and stomach chakras were “leaking energy in the before and how all the chakras are aligned and vibrant at the end.  The solar plexus chakra impacts our lymphatic and immune system; a healthy heart chakra can lead to peace, compassion and deep satisfaction in your life.  The throat chakra is the second most powerful tool we have; second to intuition.  I certainly felt healed through the experience and am learning to find my voice to help others.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

PS

We offered Pamela Turczyn’s art and meditation at a second, separate family retreat that was not attended by professionals in the healing arts practice and received the same feedback.  Although many of the participants were not meditators, 90% felt that it helped with their focus and all felt that the use of the artwork helped to produce an increased calm and sense of relaxation.

I’d like to thank Wes Rocki MD, PhD, CHt, MIM for his contribution to this article.

Happy Mothers Day to all Moms!

We are all learning how important food is for our health and well being, particularly fresh, local, organically grown vegetables and fruits.  We are learning that today’s modern wheat is not our friend. And we are learning that most of the 40,000 products on the grocery store shelves is dead food, void of nutritional value; but worse than that, laden with synthetic chemicals and pesticides that are making us “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead”.  So we are all becoming super conscious of what we put into our mouths but are we conscious about what we are putting onto our Largest organ which is our skin?

The article, Human Hormones Are Being Eclipsed By Synthetic Chemicals, is a great read on the topic.

"Recent research suggest that synthetic hormone levels found to be eclipsing natural ones. A new study published in the Journal of Applied Toxicology has raised some disturbing possibilities regarding the dangers of a common preservative found in thousands of consumer products on the market today."

Our lymphatic system is overtaxed not only by the food we eat but also by the skin care products, shampoos and deodorants we are using.  This is one of many articles showing the effects of these toxic chemicals especially to our children who are born today with over 200 known toxins!

I met the owners the skin care line, Bausc at the Take Back Your Health Conference and have been using their products since April. I LOVE THEM.  Where else can you get lead free, mercury free lipstick? We not only absorb it through our skin we are eating toxins too! Learn more about these wonderful products through my site, Carpe Diem Wellness.

When you are buying Mothers Day products, as well as bathing your beautiful babies, think of whether or not the products contain chemicals such as Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Parabens, and Propolyene Glycol. For more info on the toxic effects of skincare products, please read this article.

Please contact me for more information or check out my website www.carpediemwellness.org. Please let me know if you would like an initial consultation towards your health and self care goals.

Carpe Diem & Namaste

25 Lessons Learned

I wrote this on the plane home from Arizona after 9 weeks with my Daughters Cancer treatment and is the accumulation of what I've learned, not only from this experience but my recent studies and 50 plus years of living.  This list was re affirmed after this weekend's retreat which focused on Healing Vibrational Energies (including sound, food, art and movement). http://carpediemwellness.org/events 

As Always, I welcome any feedback or comments

1. We can heal ourselves from within....truly
2. Trust your gut, heart and inner voice
3. We are in our infancy when it comes to our knowledge of Nutrition
4. We are in our infancy when it comes to our knowledge of mind body medicine
5. Much wisdom can be learned from our ancient spiritual texts as well as modern day texts
6. Love heals, 
7. Self love is imperative for good health
8. Self love, nutrition and herbs are the most powerful healing medicines
9. We can change the structure of water with our thoughts and emotions, our bodies are 70% water, our brain is 85% water; therefore we can change our internal landscape with our thoughts and emotions
10. The rest is energy
11. We must dare to dream and use our imagination for that is the beginning of our reality and the future
12. We MUST take control, accountability and responsibility for our health.  NO one has all the answers if they say they do, be skeptical!
13. We are surrounded by serendipity and miracles everyday and by practicing gratitude and optimism we can learn to see them.
14. We are spiritual beings in a material world.  We become what we sow, we are what we eat, drink, read and think.  
15. It is in giving that we receive, when we find meaning in life and a purpose greater than ourselves we grow spiritually.
16. We MUST raise political and social awareness or we will lose all of our freedoms including what we can plant, eat and freedom of medical choice.
17. We are not the labels that are placed upon us by our schools, psychologists and physicians.  These labels create self limiting thoughts and behaviors and self fulfilling prophecies.
18. We do not need a pill for every ill and we are not imprisoned by our genes.
19. We can reverse the expression of our DNA
20. Science does not have all the answers.  Just because we can’t or won’t see something does not mean that it does not exist or is not possible
21. We must still the conscious mind and practice accessing our inner subconscious mind to find our inner wisdom, strength and creativity. 
22. We must be open to questioning the limits the conscious mind places upon us and practice the art of learning to listen, breathe, laugh and dance!  Then, we can find and follow our passions
23. Our physical symptoms are signs that our gut, heart and  inner self is out of alignment with our conscious mind. (See #2)
24. When our chakras or energy centers are in alignment we have an abundance of energy to find and follow our passions.  
25. When the mind body and spirit are aligned the world becomes abundant with infinite possibilities.

Please share your thoughts!

Carpe Diem & Namaste

Lisa

The Cause of all Human Suffering

Dana's Blogpost in www.stealingyourthunder.blogspot.com makes me think of important lessons learned in my Yoga Teacher Training.  Patanjali explains in The Yoga Sutras that all human suffering is caused by “not seeing things as they truly are”.  Words so true. Every day we have the opportunity to witness how our minds, based on past experience, dictate our limiting beliefs.  How often do we allow self-defeating or negative thoughts in our heads?  How often do we tell ourselves we should do more or be more?  How often do we compare ourselves to others or beat ourselves up when we fall short of our own expectations?  How often do we tell ourselves we are failures, instead of recognizing and celebrating our many and often small accomplishments?

The truth is that we are all so busy doing that we forget who we truly are.  We spend our lives mindlessly reacting to external stimuli and others expectations that we become unaware of our own inner strength and beauty.  When we fail to nurture our inner souls as well as our bodies, we become numb to our self and others.  We create our own jail sentence and lose the ability to relax and find joy and peace.

The truth is that lifestyle change takes time as does any healing and growth process.  This is why I offer a 6-month coaching program.  As I said to Dana, we are social creatures, we were not meant to muddle through life alone.  The sooner that we recognize our humanness; the sooner we open the door to our inner acceptance and strength.   

I am continually impressed on how 60 minutes of yoga or meditation or an individual or group coaching session can totally turn my attitude around and often melt away the man-made fears of my mind.  Most importantly to my daughter and all of us, who every day become a little more mindful of our health & wellness I say, “YOU DESERVE A STANDING OVATION”!

 

Interesting Article by Dr. Mercola

Interesting article by Dr. Mercola with more evidence that we are not victim to our genes.  In fact, only about 5% of our current health is controlled by our genes along.  Dr. Colin Campbell author of the China Study, the worlds largest nutritional study to date, explains studies on rats when fed diets of 10-20% of animal protein they grew cancer cells and when they decreased the animal protein in the diet to 5%, the cancer cells shrunk,  demonstrating the relationship of diet to genetic expression.  I also blogged earlier about the power of thoughts and how our thoughts can change the molecular structure of water and remember that are brains are 85% water and our bodies ~ 70% water.  Yes, We are "what we eat, drink and think"!   http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/04/11/epigenetic-vs-determinism.aspx?e_cid=20120411_DNL_art_1