Terrorist Attack in Russia

When I heard of the recent terrorist attack on the train in Russia, my first thought was of the safety and well being of those I now know in that country, especially Dr. Revenko, his wife, and their family. Suddenly I realized that Russia was no longer my childhood, cold war idea of threat, but a nation like ours struggling with the realities of terrorists and the loss of innocent lives. Russia has given us the gift of SCENAR, an offering of healing and compassion for the suffering in the world. Like us, Russians are just people, living their lives as best they can, and are our brothers and sisters in the human family.

In an email “conversation” I had with our distributor in Russia years ago, he said, “We are all just people who can learn from each other that we are more alike than alien. It is our governments who don’t like each other and keep their people afraid to get to know one another.”

One wonders what kind of progress humanity could make if governments could learn to work together to solve our common problems and focus together on making things work for the benefit of the whole planet and its people rather than squandering both in an effort to control it all.

As humans we all know the grief of the unexpected and shocking loss of innocent loved ones to the blatant acts of those of us who do not value life, no matter where it occurs. It is so wrong, and my heart goes out to those in Russia who have been affected.

Happy Gratitude Day

What an amazing thing it is that we set aside one day out of the year to consciously bask in the holy ground of our connectedness with our family and friends. Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday in that it is not so easily sullied by commercialization. Gratitude springs from the opened heart and cannot be traded in the market place. I’m grateful for that.

The experience of really feeling deep gratitude has an effect on our entire physiology. That emotion causes the release of neuropeptides, our body’s natural, intrinsic, healing pharmacy. (See the “Healing Tips” page for ways you can release your own neuropeptides.) It shuts down the “fight or flight” sympathetic nervous system’s activity and allows for the “rest and digest” parasympathetic nervous system to emerge. We can take a deep breath, our shoulders relax, and we can awaken to our presence in the moment. We discover a sense of peace and well-being, of feeling blessed and loved. Our hearts open and we experience the “parasympathetic mind.” We understand what is truly valuable in this life: our connectedness with our deepest selves and each other.

That we as a nation set aside this day to appreciate our lives and each other is a wonder-full and remarkable thing. May it be filled with joy as you deeply appreciate the gift and blessing that each of your loved ones brings to your life.  May you open to the healing that allows in yourself, in those you love, and in all of our human family.

May all of your blessings be fully realized, appreciated, and enjoyed.

Happy Gratitude Day!

Research Finds Antioxidants May Be the Flu’s Achilles Heel

In a study published in the November 2009 issue of the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, researchers found that antioxidants may hold the key to preventing the flu from wreaking havoc on our lungs. It is generally recognized that antioxidants are powerful nutrients that protect your health by fighting against free radicals in the body, preventing damage from oxidation. Free radicals are highly reactive molecules with unpaired electrons. These unpaired electrons cause them to be highly available for bonding and can damage important tissues.

In this study, the researchers found that the flu virus damages the lungs through a protein called M2, which attacks the cells that line the inner surface of the lungs (epithelial cells). They discovered that the M2 protein disrupts the epithelial cells’ ability to remove liquid from inside the lungs, which can lead to pneumonia and other lung problems. However, antioxidants were able to prevent the M2 protein from damaging the epithelial cells.

In this study, antioxidant-like drugs were used to stop the destruction of the epithelial cells, however, it offers an intriguing glimpse into how dietary antioxidants probably work naturally.

Dr. Victor Bachinsky, a forensic pathologist and head of the Chernivtsi Regional Forensic Bureau, who has studied the lethal outbreak of influenza in the Ukraine, states that antibiotics are useless and that only those with a strong immune system will survive.

Antioxidants are the natural builders of the immune system. Enrich you diet with food sources that are high in antioxidants:

• Fruits: All berries, but especially cranberries, cherries, blueberries, blackberries, Acai berry juice, and red grapes
• Vegetables: Beans, artichokes, broccoli, tomatoes, spinach, carrots, peppers, snow peas, chard, mustard and turnip greens, alfalfa sprouts, and whole grains
• Nuts: All nuts especially walnuts and hazelnuts (best if soaked to deactivate the enzymes that interfere with digestion and then dried)
• Spices: Ground cloves, ground cinnamon, oregano, and garlic
• Other: Tea (both green or black), bee pollen (best if local)
• Vitamins: The antioxidant vitamins are C (be careful-taking too much C in megadoses can deplete your Copper concentrations, however over short periods of time the body can tolerate megadoses), D (get tested to see how much you should be taking) and E (400IU/day – again be careful – too much E, which is stored in the tissues, can be toxic)

Why Consumers Turn to Alternative Medicine

In June of 2009, the Journal of Consumer Research published a study  that asks in layman’s terms why consumers choose to use alternative medicine. Based on surveys done in the US, China, and India, the authors found that consumers prefer alternative medicine when they are uncertain about the cause of an illness because holistic medicine tolerates uncertainty better than western medicine. Most alternative modalities favor a holistic approach, view the mind and body as a whole system, and rely on inductive tools and methods for treatment. The study also found that survey respondents preferred holistic approaches because they tend to focus on underlying sources of the problems rather than symptom alleviation, which is the focus of western medicine.

In another study reported in the June 2008 Journal of General Internal Medicine, primary care physicians who see the bulk of patients with chronic pain are frustrated by the limited options of western medicine (opioid drugs, physical therapy, or surgery), and the overwhelming numbers of alternative therapies which are only now being researched more empirically. This makes it difficult for them to know what treatment will work for a given patient. The researchers also say that these physicians have not been well trained in pain management.

Reading these studies brought to mind a client we have worked with who had surgery to treat a dangerous narrowing of his cervical vertebrae that could have impinged on his spinal cord causing paralysis. He had been in constant pain for nearly a year since the surgery. In working with him with the SCENAR, it was pretty clear that the muscles of his upper back were in severe spasm, likely from trying to adjust to relating in a new way to the four fused vertebrae in his neck. He related that he had developed significant pain in his mid back as well that radiated around to the sides. When he talked to his neurologist about it, he was told that it was his heart and he was sent to a cardiologist who after running numerous tests said that his heart was fine. The neurologist had nothing further to offer about the intractible pain the client was suffering. It was after that experience that he decided to try something alternative. The SCENAR identified the area in distress and the treatment greatly reduced his pain there as well as in his upper back. The SCENAR  assists the body to gently relax spasming muscles so they can return to their normal positions, thus relieving pain. The experience of this client exemplifies why consumers turn to alternative medicine.

An Event: From the Beatles to Oprah: 40+ Years of the Evolution of Consciousness

When: November 20  7pm-9:30pm

Where: Crystal Visions in Naples, NC

Louis Bourgeois will present this fascinating overview of consciousness in the world, beginning with the Beatles and ending with Oprah’s webcast of a discussion with Eckhart Tolle about his new book, A New Earth. Included in the presentation is music that has served to raise consciousness. My favorite piece of this genre is “We Are The World”.

This presentation is feely given. No admission fee will be asked at the door, but donations will be greatly appreciated to cover expenses and support the mission of service of the Oasis Center for Conscious Living.

For more information go to the Asheville Sangha

SCENAR Training with Dr. Revenko

There will be another training with Dr. Revenko this weekend in Stamford, Connecticut. Check out the details here. The training on Scoliosis is a great opportunity to learn from the master.

Another Pain Killer Bites the Dust

Below is an article written by Bernard Abrams, MD about the new FDA warning put out about the possible life threatening drug reaction that can be associated with taking Ultram or Ultracet for pain management. I have transcribed it verbatim sans some really technical information. The article can be found on pain.com

For my personal experiences with Ultram go to the “Healing Tips” page.

FDA labeling change cites possible Tramatol may cause serotonin syndrome.

Tramadol, marketed under the brand names Ultram and Ultracet, is a weak mu-opioid agonist often used in pain management in lieu of stronger opioid. On September 9, 2009, the FDA added a warning on the possible association with serotonin syndrome, a potentially life threatening condition characterized by mental confusion, agitation, and hallucinations; autonomic problems such as tachycardia, labile blood pressure, and hyperthermia; neuromuscular manifestation such as hyperflexia, incoordination, and ataxia; and gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.

This syndrome may occur with Tramadol alone in usual therapeutic doses, but more commonly in combination with antidepressants.

Glossary of terms:

Serotonin Syndrome - a potentially life threatening drug reaction that causes the body to have too much serotonin, a chemical produced by the nerve cells.

mu-opioid – a specific opioid receptor cite targeted by the drug

ataxia - gross lack of coordination of muscle movements

hyperthermia -  elevated body temperature due to failed thermoregulation

hyperflexia - overreactive or overresponsive reflexes

I am grateful in yet another way that we have a SCENAR and can share this technology with others. If you have pain, call us at 828-337-6854 for an appointment.

Improvement Reaction a.k.a. Healing Crisis

In Eastern medicine and in Europe’s development of homeopathy, the phenomenon called a healing crisis, or Herxheimer Reaction, is well known and understood to be a positive sign that the intervention being used is having the desired effect. When the body begins to detoxify and heal itself, it sometimes cannot eliminate the toxins released fast enough and certain symptoms can appear. These symptoms usually last only 1 to 3 days, but can sometimes be intense.

In Western medicine symptoms of any sort are considered bad and the focus is to supress or eliminate them. Give us a pill and make us feel better! Most of us in this country have grown up without the concept that our bodies have the ability to heal themselves and that the body has its own process for accomplishing that task. However, as people have become aware of toxicity and the disease that can be caused from it building up in the body, various methods of cleansing the body are becoming popular. As a result of using cleanses people are becoming more familiar with how the body responds by eliminating toxins and are more aware of the potential for healing crises.

Bodywork of any sort, energy work, fasting, and improvements in the quality of nutrition can all cause improvement reactions. SCENAR can cause them. In Russia creating an “exacerbation” is desired, and is understood by the patient to be a good thing. In this country, with most people being unfamiliar with healing reactions, we were trained to conduct the sessions in a way so as to not, as much as possible,  create them. This slows down the healing process some, but does not surprise clients with an experience they are unfamiliar with. If a person does not know that what they are experiencing denotes healing, they may think they are getting worse. A small number of our clients have had them and usually the best way to quickly resolve the reaction is to do another treatment as soon as possible. Even without that, the symptoms usually resolve in a day or two.

Typical symptoms of a healing crisis can be:

• flu like aches and pains
• joint or muscle aches
• muscle cramps
• increased pain where the original complaint was
• malaise
• intense emotional states
• skin eruptions
• gastrointestinal disturbances

A healing crisis is a reaction to previously sequestered toxins in the body being systemically released. Such poisons can be stored in all kinds of tissues, primarily muscle, fascia, and adipose (fat). During a treatment these poisons are released from the tissues as the body begins to heal itself, and enter the blood stream. The sudden increase of toxins in the blood causes a toxicity reaction until the body is able to effectively process and eliminate them. While not a pleasant experience, a healing crisis signifies that a cleansing and purifying process is underway.

There are things you can do to help ease the symptoms a healing crisis:

• Take the homeopathic remedy Arnica Montana (3-5 pellets placed under the tongue) which can be purchased at most health food stores. You can also use Arnica gel applied locally to sore or painful areas. If you use homeopathics avoid Camphor in any form (lip balms, athletic/sports rubs and liniments such as Ben-Gay, and some sore throat lozenges). Camphor offsets the effects of homeopathics.
• Drink 1/2 ounce of pure room temeperature or slightly warm water per pound of body weight per day: e.g., a 150 lb person should drink 75 ounces/day (a little more than 2 quarts per day).
• Alkalinize your tissues. Nearly all improvement reactions occur in overly acidic tissues. Toxins are typically acidic. Drink water with fresh squeezed lemon and eat alkalinizing foods such as greens, fruit, cucumber, cauliflower, carrots, cabbage, onions, beets, and pears. Keep your diet as simple as possible.
• Take a hot bath with detoxifying salts such as Epsom salts to reduce muscle soreness.
• Do non-strenuous, light exercise such as a relaxed walk, gentle yoga, or stretching.
• Rest if you feel the need. Pamper yourself. Listen to your body. Don’t “push through.” Your body is working hard to heal. Honor that.
• Maintain good bowel function. Many liberated toxins are detoxified by the liver and eliminated through the gastrointestinal tract usually within 24 hours or so.

A true healing involves cleansing at all levels, physical, emotional, and spiritual. Due to the body’s fascinating ability to store emotions and memories in the tissues, their recollection or release can accompany manipulation of those tissues. The surfacing of memories or emotions without physical symptoms signal an emotional release. An emotional release is often a component of a healing crisis. Most people have some emotional issues or trauma in their life times. These are stored by the body in the nervous system. During any form of bodywork it is possible to release these stored issues. An emotional release may give rise to feelings of anger, grief, or other emotions. This release is indicative of a healthful body transformation, where the body clears itself of the negativity stored within.

Learning to surpress our emotions typcially causes them to go into our physical body tissues. The tensing of neck muscles will prohibit frowning, holding one’s breath can replace crying, and jaw clenching may stifle yelling. Emotional suppression with repetition can become habit and the body becomes a storehouse of unconscious and unexpressed feelings. Suppressed emotions are a key factor in muscle tension and pain.

The release of physical and emotional toxicity followed by restoration and renewal is what healing is all about, and the welcoming of this transformation opens the door to leading a healthier, more conscious, life.

Healing Frequencies in a Cat’s Purr

In a Chinaberry Christmas catalog there is an advertisement for “Catnap Kitties”. These are soft cuddly stuffed animal kitties that produce a sound using the frequencies of a real cat purr. Apparently research has been conducted into not only the soothing experience of a cat snuggling up to you and purring, but also the healing produced by the frequencies of the purr itself. It has been found that all cats (from lions and tigers to the domestic cat) purr within a frequency range of 20 Hz to 151 Hz. Most domestic cats purr between 20Hz and 50Hz which seems to be the most healing. According to the catalog and research found on the web, these frequencies can help a whole list of things from insomnia to the healing of bones, muscles, and tendons, as well as pain relief.

What is fascinating about this is that the frequency range of most SCENARs is between 10Hz and 350Hz. The low frequencies are used to treat chronic issues because the slower vibrations penetrate more deeply and are more soothing. Chronic muscle tension and tendon inflamation are treated with the lower frequencies as are issues like insomnia. Years ago when I first heard the Denas SCENAR being used at 20Hz, I was struck by how much it sounded like a cat’s purr.

So, if you don’t own a SCENAR, the next best thing to help your healing may be a cat!