Holistic Health Options G.R.-http://www.hhogr.com

Holistic Medicine in 2012

2012-01-02T12:58:00.000-05:00

If you click on the title above, it will link to my website. There you will find my fees, my office schedule, contact information, and the details of my practice, as well as pictures.

2011 was my best year yet and I expect and want trajectory growth in 2012. Holistic Health and the market for it are burgeoning, although you don't see much in the media about it. I have a very affordable pre-pay cash plan and my treatments are efficient. If you come and see me, be advised that we will talk about lifestyle habits that you may want my help assessing as well as food choices. I do not get bossy our authoritative with my patients about their body. It's YOUR body. But, if you are coming to me for help, I will educate you on the consequences of every piece you tell me. And that can be a good thing. It's all about learning and choices. And I always accept any choices my patients make for themselves-non-judgmentally. For the truth is, IT'S ALL GOOD!!!!!

Give me a call. 818-8412 and join the crowd flocking into my office to FEEL BETTER!

Irony

2011-12-08T18:01:00.000-05:00

Today's irony that affects your health; You can't fake authenticity. Just be Yourself and you'll be healthier.

A Very Good Christmas Gift

2011-11-26T22:12:00.000-05:00

Tis the season for gift certificates for that "hard to give to" person. At Holistic Health Options, I have a Medical Massage Gift Certificate with the name of your recipient on it.

You can buy one for 1 hour, 45 minutes, or 30 minutes. They are respectively; $60.00, $45.00, and $30.00

The gift of health is priceless. I can also educate the patient on nutrition, herbs, stretching, self-care, and the Blood Type Diet. Give me a call if you'd like to buy one, or try out a treatment! Feel Better!

Call 818-8412. If you click the above link it will take you to my website that includes a map of the location of my office.

Merry Christimas and Happy 2012!

Bone Follows Muscle

2011-11-08T14:40:00.000-05:00

Your body works as one whole unit of course. There is no separation between bones and muscles. But the anatomical fact IS, your bones follow your muscles. Your muscles make up the majority of the weight of your body. Your muscles hang on your bones and are filled with blood, unless there is an adhesion. At the point of the adhesion, the muscle has ceased to flow properly.

There is no point whatsoever of just focusing on aligning the bone. The bones are pulled out of alignment by deep soft tissue contraction. It thus follows that the remedy is to address the deep tissue contraction so the bone will be freed up to align on it's own. There is no need to force it into alignment. And it should not be forced into alignment if the soft tissue is contracted. If it is forced, it will hurt to connective tissue further.

If you are having muscle pain, you need to go see a medical massage therapist who is certified and experienced. We work with the diagnosis of your M.D., D.O., D.N, or N.D. to make sure you get on your feet. I bill insurance and have a pricing structure so that you can afford to come in for the amount of visits you need.

We All Drink From the Same Well

2011-10-20T10:30:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite sayings in the Tao Te Ching is "We all drink for the same well". That is the Tao-the Source/Womb of our consciousness, and our body. No matter what type of body, mind, or gifts we're born with, we all have an equal access to Source energy that is The Tao. We are all loved and nurtured equally by The Universe, God, All That Is. Accessing and becoming aware of that energy is the key to changing our vibration and healing. Analyzing the mass and denseness of the body (blood, guts, bones, germs, etc.) is like staring at a grain of sand on a beach, in front of the ocean with the mountains behind but not seeing ANY OF THAT. It's like believing that the grain of sand is ALL THERE IS! How crazy is that? The grain of sand is not all there is. It is interesting and has a beautiful crystalline structure, etc., but there IS MORE! The grain of sand is just the nucleus of a vast existence with unlimited energy. That unlimited Source is equally available to all despite gender, race, class, intelligence level, artistic gifts, etc. It is the great equalizer for humanity. Healthcare is on the precipice of a shift to vibrational medicine. The propoganda of a Newtonian, mechanistic view of the body is falling away and giving way to Einsteins Theory of Relativity that underpins the discoveries in quantum physics. All matter is made up of predominantly, electromagnetically charged SPACE. It's not dense at all. Walk through your day realizing that you are conscious, electrically charged, intelligent ENERGY-not flesh. Your flesh is pure energy controlled by your thoughts and your emotions. That is a fact. Your healing is in your hands.

The Empty Body

2011-10-15T12:37:00.004-04:00

If you click on the above title-it will take you to my website; http://www.hhogr.com.

I'm reading Fritjof Capra's "The Tao of Physics" right now. It's very pertinent to my medical massage/Reiki practice at Holistic Health Options, G.R. because it reveals the science behind the composition of the atom according to quantum physics experiments. I'll try to put it in a nutshell for you to ponder. I'd like to remind you that what I'm revealing has been observed and proven. It's not up for discussion despite any cognitive dissonance that may feel comfy to you. It wasn't comfy for people to accept that the world was round and not flat either-yet that is a fact.

Our cells, and all cells that compose matter are made up of subatomic atoms. In the atom is the nucleus which is the only part of the atom that has any mass/weight. The proportion of nucleus to the rest of the atom spinning with particles such as electrons, neutrons, neutrinos, and 100 more such particles is like a grain of salt in the dome of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. The nucleus is infinitesimal. What has been observed and measured is the velocity about which the electrons, charged with electromagnetism spin about the nucleus. That is about 46,000 mph. What we know is that the atom is composed mostly of empty space/energy. That means that we, and all of matter are essentially empty space charged with energy-not dense weight. What makes all of matter appear dense is the SPEED, the VELOCITY at which our electrons are spinning. That speed is very difficult to slow down, but I think some have done it and science knows how to do it. So, if human beings learned how to slow down the velocity at which their electrons spin, they can change the nature of their physical form; either with regard to dis-ease or anything else.

What are the implications for healing here? Is illness really a certain mis-aligned speed at which our cells are spinning? And if we are mostly composed of energy, maybe energy balancing ought to be the main modality that we use as healers and that we use to heal ourselves. Vibrational Healing for the 21st Century is the "wave" of the future.

Natural sources of Magnesium

2011-09-04T21:13:00.002-04:00

Magnesium is one of those minerals that is mega important for the health of your muscles and the most important automatic muscle, your heart. If you click on the title above, it will take you to a great article on the subject. I always recommend that if you take magnesium as a supplement as opposed to getting it naturally in your food, that you take it with Calcium. The two work synergistically to be absorbed into your system.

http://www.hhogr.com

Meningitis Vaccine

2011-08-22T18:07:00.001-04:00

My son had to get 3 more vaccines for 7th grade today. One of them, which was new to me, is the Meningitis vaccine. The meningus bacteria (there are many strains) are VERY bad for your health. I knew that part. And with the waning effectiveness of the anti-biotics, it could be even more so.

As you've heard me say a million times on here-the best defense is a strong immune system as a foundation. When you do inevitably pick up a virus or bacteria, your body can resist it on it's own, with proper rest, etc. of course. But this bacteria is deadly. The link above takes you to Dr. Andrew Weil's site. He believes the vaccine to be safe. I like Dr. Weil because he's a compromise between allopath and holistic. His values are holistic and he's not a "yes man". But his training is traditional allopathic-so he knows how these guys think.

My son does have a strong immune system because he was breastfed and given minimal antibiotics as a child. The constant hammering of anti-biotic use ruins your immune system-especially a child's. Anti-biotic means against the body. They are medicines that are against the body, not for the body.

What IS for the body? A happy frame of mind, excercise, balanced, low calorie diet, astragalus root, certain supplements if you're low on certain ones. You can find this out at http://www.cronometer.com and Pro-biotics. Hand washing and not touching your face is a good idea, but the viruses are so virulent that you just breath them in floating in the air. You can't avoid breathing! But you can avoid groups of people if there is a particularly nasty bug going around. That is not a bad idea at all.

My website at www.hhogr.com if you'd like to contact me for an herbal consultation.

Preventative Medicine Budget

2011-08-19T10:30:00.000-04:00

The season is changing from very warm to cool. With that, the virus's start to multiply coming up out of the ground, into the air, as do many microorganisms. It's true that holding a positive, happy mindset that is centered in your authentic self (your true feelings) holds the most value for health. But is also true that there are certain supplements that are beneficial to have on hand when the virus's start to circulate, to shore you up. Part of living the holistic life is planning ahead. "Forewarned is forearmed" as they say. If you know that for every year of your life you've been challenged by the bugs that circulate, then plan for it this season. Plan to be well. Plan for people to say, "Why aren't you sick when everyone else is?" and feeling very positive and empowered with a smile on your face.

Getting sick is like getting drunk. When you're around a bunch of alcoholics, they expect you to be drunk and addicted to alcohol too or they'll diss you and try to make you feel guilty for not affirming their alcoholism by being one yourself. That is also true of being a sober, centered, holistic person. It's pretty anti-social to be healthy and happy, consistently... let's face it. So, if you're on for this carnival ride to personal well-being, the supplements to get are:

Astragalus Root
All your multi-vit. supplements
Liquid Minerals
Sambucol (anti viral)
Sun Ten Magnolia Flower Formula (through my website above)
Sun Ten Ophiopogon Root (through my website above)
Turmeric Root for inflammation

You can get most of these at your local health food store but they are online as well. The Sun Ten Magnolia Flower kills the Strep Throat bacteria. You can adjust the dosage and give it to children. I've given it to my son all of his life. You can contact me for dosage information. Have a great Fall!

New Office

2011-07-28T15:34:00.003-04:00

I've moved into a new office setting that is better for me all around. It's more private, cleaner, newer, more affordable, and it has a fireplace! I love it!

The location is between Standale/Allendale at 0-745 Lake Michigan Drive, Walker, MI 49534, between Sessions Dr. and 8th Ave. GVSU is about 4.5 mile to the west of the office

It is a large white, commercially zoned house with white pillars. There are 5 office suites. I am in the downstairs suite to the back on the left. The waiting room is just to your left as you come in the front door.

For more information about my services, scroll down this blog or click on an article to the right.

I look forward to hearing from old and new patients. In Good Health. Lisa- 818-8412

Opening The Door

2011-07-01T05:02:00.002-04:00

I use energy balancing along with medical massage and manual therapy in my clinic. Most people have not experienced the feeling of Reiki or energy balancing on their body. Reiki means universal life force and is function of nature, like the wind, electricity, and electro-magnetism. You can feel what I'm doing with you even though my hands are not touching you. It's like the wind blowing on your face. The usual sensations are heat, warmth, tingling, prickles, waves, floating, cool, or deep relaxation.

I use the energy balancing to open up the flow of "qi" in the flesh so I can "get in there" and effect a change to the deeper layers of tissue during manual therapy. I have to do this because your mind believes that you are predominantly a dense, flesh, physical body. Ha!!!! Essentially, when you have stress, anxiety, worry, pain in the flesh, it's like pounding on a door you perceive to be locked, in a room that you want to leave. You don't believe there's a doorknob and a handle. In addition, you think that all there is is the room you're in.

I know how to see the doorknob, lightly push on the handle, and open your door (your body) to your/our connection to Source, from whence you came. It's not that hard folks. But I have studied it and know what I'm doing. You don't need to pound on your door or freak out over life. When you're on my table, please relax and be open to receiving all the well-being that naturally flows through the Universe and through us. Healing is a pleasure, life is a pleasure, the body is a pleasure if you just press lightly on the door handle, open the door, and walk through.

Insurance Billing

2011-04-25T16:23:00.001-04:00

I am now billing Auto Owners Insurance for anyone that has had an auto accident and sustained injuries that cause chronic pain. If your Dr. has let you know that s/he supports massage therapy for pain, bring in the Rx with the diagnostic codes and I'll bill it. If you'd like your Dr. to support massage therapy, come and see me and we'll talk. I do medical massage/manual therapy which is specifically tailored for pain relief. You don't need to go through life with disabling pain that interrupts your life. There is treatment for it.

Please bring:

* Your ins. card
* The Doctor's prescription
* The HICFAA diagnostic codes with frequency and number of treatments

You will not pay anything for these treatments.

For other conditions, if you have health ins., I will need you to bring in the same things. The Dr. can precribe medical massage for:

*Sciatica
*Headaches
*Scar tissue
*Disc problem
*Muscle pain
*FMS
*Migraine
*CTS

and more.... Just call me to find out. I will tell you if I don't think I can help you. I will bill your ins. and we'll see if they cover it. If not, I will only ask for 1/2 of the cash price from you. In the meantime, you will definitely feel better.

Stimulating the Powerful Healing Mechanisms in the Body

2011-02-12T11:01:00.004-05:00

Sometimes...what is so simple and powerful is no work at all. Feeling sort of slow and lazy these days? Well, while you're sitting on the couch or the floor vegg'ing out, be aware that what you're meditating on, thinking about, focusing on is either releasing healing hormones into your body to help you feel better, or painful ones to make you feel worse.

Our minds never stand still. Observe that that you are listening, talking, etc. all the time. Do you have a silent opinion or feeling that you would never say as you're listening to the baby near you wail, someone ranting or complaining, or playing loud music? Well, maybe you'd say it on Facebook-right? Or do you have a penchant to be empathic with people, passive, quiet, a listener, intuitive? Some people have chronic negative self talk where they are down on themselves all the time. This will make you seriously ill and leads to addiction. We have a natural way of being but we can also train ourselves to respond to life differently so that we'll feel better.

The above link will take you to a meditation site that educates you about hormones that are released in the body that can heal. There is NO DRUG, NO SURGERY, no Dr.'s treatment that is more powerful than your conscious choice, directing your continual mental focus on what...you...want. It is your life's work to SAY what you want and then give it continual attention. Nurture you heart felt vision, your dream. It may just make you well.

Medical Massage

2010-12-11T23:48:00.001-05:00

The Attorney General of Michigan, Mike Cox recently ruled that in the State of Michigan, the only massage that will be available to consumers will be medical massage, for health care purposes. Medical massage will have specific standards of training and the training will include boundaries in the office, and in the professional conduct of the practitioner that will protect the modesty and intent of both patient and practitioner. There will no confusion about what product you are receiving. This is an effective, proven, healing healthcare product. That is all. A side benefit of this action will be to promote the dignity and higher education of women in poverty.

In addition, this will allow for the billing of insurance. Hopefully, this will all become effective by summer 2011

Healing the Emotional Body

2010-03-17T10:29:00.001-04:00

The link between pent up feelings and heart disease, high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke is well known. So, let there be no doubt, with regard to our healthcare, we ignore our feelings at our own peril. In addition, drug use, the need for alcohol and pot, excessive food when we're not hungry, or sex addiction are all Qi (Chi) blockage. We inhibit the flow of natural human emotion in a balanced way because of the limited perception of our minds.

Feelings are not universal truth, but they are sign posts to "our truth" that guides us to a potential destiny that would help us learn our lessons. Our bodies are like energy towers, beaming out signals that sychronize us with the world around us. Feelings are simply "signals", "red flags", a homing mechanism. The use of a drug, a cynicism of mind, lack of faith, excessive desire to control others with "the law", all THWART our natural creative self. Creativity, true productivity is directly related to the expression of our honest feelings with someone we love and trust. My experience has always been that if I follow those signals and acknowledge them in my body, I am always taken care of despite what my rational mind may "fear". We are each unique. The universe supports us to express what we feel and produce. Do your work, then let it go and move on the the next adventure. "The highest good for all and harm to none" is what we wish for our healthcare.

A virus in the muscle

2010-02-19T14:49:00.000-05:00

Oh my the pain...for the last 3 days or so I couldn't straighten my left forearm. The extensor ulnaris muscle (the outside of the forearm on the pinky finger side) was TOTALLY inflamed. Then my hand started to swell. So today, I can almost completely straighten it and notice the stress it put on the muscles of my left shoulder. Actually, it's times like this that I am so grateful I'm trained to be able to be rational about what happens in my body. It was very interesting to go through this little joy ride. The remedy: double doses of turmeric, regular dose of cayenne and ginger, water, multi-vits', B-complex, liniment on the area (Chinese and Castor Oil), hydrotherapy in Epsom Salt, rest, and alternate ice and warm. I knew it wasn't my heart because the pain and the symptoms were isolated. I had no chest pain and no shortness of breath. From middle age on, you should watch for chest pain, left arm/left elbow pain (dispersed) and shortness of breath. My left arm pain was specific. I came along with the onset of a mild sinus virus as well. These remedies work folks. And the virus's can settle in a specific muscle and incapacitate you for a short while. If you are concerned, as you should be, about heart health, Herb Pharm makes a fabulous heart tonic with Hawthorn. Being forewarned is forearmed.

Dreaming

2010-02-03T19:42:00.000-05:00

It happened to me again; I had a very vivid dream. It was as though I was there. I wasn't just "viewing it" like a movie. The next day, the person I dreamt about came up in conversation; through my son. Similar connection happened through my son before as well with this same person. It was all fine and made sense given the history. I woke up the morning I had just dreamt it and said, "Wow, what was all of THAT activity?" It was all ordinary-but I felt like I had just been traveling, as though I'd been in a car, drove to Grand Haven (Lake Michigan), hung out with a large group of people and came back. It felt that real. My life has always been like this. There is really very little veil between this world and the next. I just live with it. No, it is not normal, but it is comforting for me. It works for me because I'm a musician as well as a healer. When I'm at the piano, or organ, or choir, I'm "in a prayerful place" or a healing place to channel peace and revelation through the music. I don't mean peace as in passive or zenlike, but peace that is transformative and always changing. Let the dreams roll!

The Cave

2010-01-20T11:08:00.000-05:00

I'm sure that most of you saw the video footage of Jeanette being pulled from the cave of rubble in Haiti on the news yesterday. She was in there for 6 days....6 days. She came out fine. She said she prayed while she was in there. When asked whether she thought she would survive this she said, "Why not?". And apparently her husband who desperately wanted to find her was praying too. I was SO moved when I heard the first thing out of her mouth; SINGING in praise to God-"Don't ever be afraid of death...don't ever be afraid of death". The day before, I had posted on Facebook that I felt like I was in a cave, I had no idea why, and I just roll with it. I really felt connected to this women spiritually when they pulled her out. While it's true that to some extent we have to heal ourselves as we're able, it's important to receive the aid of friends. I am grateful for my friends right now. I have been so moved by the people of Haiti and how they've dealt with this crisis. They are such an example of how ultimately our fate rests with the natural forces of the Earth. And when the natural forces of the Earth move, to balance herself, all we have is each other, in the body. There is no technology that withstands for too long, the movements of the Earth. It's futile. Ultimately, all we have is our bodies/minds, each other, and time.

What is Manual Therapy? http://www.hhogr.com

2010-01-02T09:04:00.002-05:00

A manual therapist is an expert in medical massage. I use my hands, on the body, to treat and assess pathology at the joint complex and move the blood. This is the primary focus of the training and the treatment; not entertainment. This is healthcare. Visual & tactile assessment are used to ascertain specific modalities of manual treatment to be used. MMT's look for the source of the patient's pain or, based on a physicians finding, treat the source of the pain, not the referred pain. Findings are taken and are recorded in detail with proper medical anatomical terms. Manual therapy is applied with techniques such as compression, traction, vibration, friction, effleurage, and many various types of petrissage. Treatment may also include passive ROM, accupressure, or trigger point therapy. Excercises and stretching may also be recommended to improve body symmetry and balance as well as increase range of motion. Many of us are also trained in medical acupuncture as another modality. Manual therapy is not chiropractic, touch therapy nor is it relaxation massage. Manual therapists, being true to the roots of medical tradition, use their hands, with various, fairly old techniques, to heal and treat deep-seated pain. At this point, most Manual Therapists are not doctors, but many are. If they are a doctor, they are called Naprapaths. Most manual therapists, at this point, are called "medical massage therapists" because manual therapy does "massage" the tissue somewhat and is relaxing, but not with oil or in the traditional, full body manner. Manual therapy treatments are 25 minutes long, or less. Come and see me and you will understand.

"Happy Old Year"-http://www.hhogr.com

2009-12-31T18:16:00.000-05:00

I'm reading this great book about pyramids that was written in 1987. It states that the creator of the Great Pyramid was Hermes. The Egyptians call him Thoth. It speaks of "tachion" energy that has been understood by healers for thousands of years to heal. Tachion means light. The author says the knowledge has been forgotten (or repressed or kept hidden). He rightly says that institutional medical doctors believe that all disease is related only to a chemical imbalance in the body. There is also the electromagnetic and mechanical part of the body. The caduceus of Hermes (the snake around a pole), which is currently the symbol used by M.D.'s in their profession, is the measurement of light that was used by Hermes to diagnose illness. My god, so much of this thinking has been lost. It's not magic, it's not miracles, and it's not witchcraft. It's nature and music. It's all around us and in us. What bothers me is that religions have sort of taken over the teaching on these subjects when it was never meant to be that way. This is all about the natural world, the natural evolution of things which is based on universal law. There need not be a human intercessor between the soul and it's source. Do we not have the wind and the trees, the mountains and the great oceans to speak to us of our parentage? We could observe nature on our own if the fear riddled dogma weren't so distracting. Scientists observe nature and then creates theories. Most of what we put forth as scientific evidence is theory, not fact. How many of you know that when you change your mind, your physical life changes. That's proof! As Wayne Dyer says, "When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change". And that is also in line with the new findings of quantum physics. This stuff is not new. It's very old and is just now being remembered. So, maybe I'll say, "Happy Old Year". May you continue to remember how old your soul really is and bring all the knowledge you possess to the surface to share with humanity in the year 2010 AD.

The Well Tempered Human

2009-12-23T22:18:00.000-05:00

I was listening to a piano lesson today and heard the teacher refer to Bach's "Well Tempered Clavier", a famous compendium of pieces for the new pre-cursor to the piano; the clavier. It struck me, while I was working on a patient on how incredibly synchronous balancing the body is to tuning the piano. When tuning a piano, you have to "temper" the tuning of the pins so that the piano, when played, is in tune in all the keys, as opposed to just a few. That is what makes it well tempered. I seek to teach my patients and work on my patients to become well-tempered HUMANS. How many of us know "ill-tempered" humans, especially at the holi"daze"; the grinches. When the body is out of tune, the pain bell starts to ring, like a key struck on a piano that is painful to the ear. They are a pain to be around because they are in pain and need to get "in tune". The body must function well in many "keys", environments, or dimensions to make a beautiful sound. The point of healthcare is to encourage and create beautiful, well-tempered, lovely humans that can walk on Earth, creating a life that uplifts, enlightens, challenges, and just sounds good. May your Solstice/Christmas be filled with the lovely melodies of health and healing!!!! Lisa T.

The Beautiful Darkness of Winter

2009-12-03T21:13:00.000-05:00

I love winter. Being in tune with the change of seasons and flowing with it is very healing. The reason is that we are children of the Earth. It benefits us to be in tune with flow and to receive her good graces. It sure seems appropriate living in Michigan since it seems much of our year is taken up with this weather. The weather affects our health very much; mostly our resistance to it, or our negative attitude towards it. It dawned on me today, after picking my sweet little boy up from school, that I can now FEEL that Winter is feminine. As we move down to Winter Solstice, December 21st, it gets darker and darker. The solstice is the darkest day of the year-I think only 8 hours of light and 16 hours of dark. That darkness is the sacred dark of the female womb, where all life is seeded, where we have all come from and where we all return to. The womb is our source, as humans. The sun is the source of our planet. The Earth was born out of the Sun. But the Earth's children are born out of the Darkness, the womb. The darkness, the Great Mother is our source as well. And when she was married to the great light, the Sun, the child was born. That child was born of the sacred dark and fed the snow that is mother's milk. The hard snow coming down reminds me of the flow of mother's milk. I don't know, I guess this is Earth Wisdom 101 for those that have studied it. But I haven't studied it. I'm just observing it and internalizing it, as seems natural to me. May we all honor the sacred descent into darkness as return from whence we came.

Time and Healing

2009-10-27T13:01:00.000-04:00

I'm a big fan of the study of Time. Because I'm a healer I want to understand how time affects healing. Time is circular, not linear. It is the 4 th dimension, not the 3rd. The 3rd dimension is communicated via the clock and the Gregorian calendar. That is the measure of Space. Time is the next frontier-the 4th dimension. 4 is a grounded number. The earth has 4 directions, 4 seasons, the lunar/solar year is divisible by 4, the ancient pagan symbol for the Earth; the cross, has 4 sides. But as seen in this picture, we are now aligning with the eternal spiral, the golden ratio, the Universe, the multi-dimensional nature of all living things and will now be able to understand it with our minds. Thus, we are now able to take this understanding and literally (3rd dimensionally) change our bodies.

Quantum physics has proven that there are 12 dimensions. I hope, the literal effects of those upper 9 dimensions on the lower 3 is understood soon so we can be done with physical suffering on this planet. The "placebo effect" is an example of the power of the mind to affect the body. The short of it is; if you REALLY believe something-deeply to your bones, it BECOMES true, your body absorbs it, and it manifests in 3 dimensions. When you are ill, or in pain, it seems like time stands still. The phrase, "Time flys when you're havin' fun" speaks to this mental perception in a positive light. Likewise, time seems to drag when you're sick. Knowing this is the case, catch yourself at this moment of perception. Time is not "real"-it is a perception of the mind. Time is not a physical reality (in space-like being in a body). There is a bridge to eternity there. If you meditate back and forth between remembering how you felt when time was "going slow" and how you felt when time was "going fast", you'll create a personal sluice way-a path of transcendence to a higher realm where you can walk through time but are always aware of the eternal moment-or the higher dimensions

It is on this path where you can begin to discern the lessons of the body. Why are you here? If you finish learning the lesson, you can finish being sick! This is not the time to be stubborn or willful. This is an opportunity to face something about yourself that's been stunting your spiritual growth. If you pray to be shown what this is and then really look and listen-likely you will be healed.

Reflections on Illusion

2009-10-13T19:51:00.000-04:00

Mirrors don't lie. The mirror as a symbol is a very powerful tool for healing and transformation. Gazing into a bowl of water or a pool of water can take you into corners of your mind that have not been traversed before. As an emotional, predominantly subjective person, I rely on the reflections of others back to me, regarding how I am seen, what I am communicating, and how I sound. This is a hard process. We all try so hard to communicate our true selves, to grow, to be honest, to do the right thing. However, when the mirror of others responses to us is held up, we're called on "our game". We may be unconscious of that game. I found that when I consistently was given signals by multiple people of a message I was giving out, it was time for me to really dig deep, look in the mirror, and figure out whether I wanted to be that way or not. What was the meaning of all of this?

The universe has gifted each of us with healing gifts that are unfathomable to us. I think we would each be surprised to know of someone's life we have touched, but forgot all about it. Sometimes, when we feel the worst about ourselves, we are giving out a vibe that actually can help someone else-just by intending it. This happened to me in my last job. An aspect of myself was mysteriously and non-verbally reflected back to me by someone I really cared for. Because of that reflection, a life long dream of a realization about myself occurred that I didn't think was possible. For 46 years I had been searching for a way to GROUND my spiritual, musical knowledge. Just by being accepted and allowed to be myself "in a certain way", I was healed.
It's a sacred thing to genuinely care for someone. May you be able to step through the mirror of illusion into freedom; the freedom of knowing you are unconditionally loved and forgiven not just by the Higher Powers that be, but by others as well.

Mining the Power of the Mind

2009-09-27T13:16:00.000-04:00

I've been experimenting lately with the power of my mind to affect my body and the world of perceived matter around me. It starts with the breath of course-and a quiet space. You can be sitting or lying down. I don't believe it matters. However, sitting up induces lucid dreaming as opposed to lying down which induces...sleep. Sleep is great. But then you go full blown into unconscious dream state and...that's another issue.

Your mind is what perceives space, and a sense of time, and of course yourself IN IT. Because we perceive ourselves in space and time, we BELIEVE ourselves to be in space and time. But I've been working with Mayan symbols of late. The Mayan symbols purport to induce time travel-which happens in your mind. You can use any system of symbols you are personally drawn to; religious, pagan, Mayan, mathmatical, natural, etc. There are thousands of symbols to study and use. Open up the possibilities. The wonder of symbols is that they are silent and mysterious. Human beings LOVE symbols. So use them.

If you stare at it long enough-worlds open up. What happened to me is that poetry started writing itself in my mind. Then of course-I had to stop and write it down in my journal. I have a penchant from writing anyway, as does my mother. So it came naturally to me. The poem wrote itself. It was amazing. This is not something I had ever done. What I did different this time, as opposed to other meditations is I "dropped back" as I closed my eyes. Close your eyes and imagine/feel your brain or the back of your eyes dropping back and relaxing in your head. It is a physical sensation, but somehow, it opens up a perception that "allows" information in, if you are willing to listen. Now, the key here is, you must not judge what comes into your view when you open your eyes again and look at the symbol. You must have faith that you are held solidly, as the person that you are and in that grounding, you can stretch and grow. You are held safely by the Earth and by your Higher Power so that when you drop back in your mind, you will not fall or fail to return.

It is the mind that heals the body. Specifically, your mind, in your body. We are all resonators and teachers for one another in the vast pool of life. However, it is vital that to heal illness, you become very intimate with your own mind, your own perceptions about your body and why your life has progressed as it has over time. You may just be given the source of your healing in the meditation; a person, a place, a food or herb, a feeling, a color, a vocation, etc.

Anyway-it's loads of fun. There are fine adventures in the world around us. But there are just as many in our minds. It's an adventure you don't have to leave your house for-and it's free.

Sustainable Healing

2009-09-02T14:08:00.000-04:00

My former teacher at Aquinas College, Deb Steketee, PhD wrote a good article in the latest AQ magazine. You can find it at the link on the right of this blog. Then turn to page 8 of the document. The title is "More Than a Color" and talks about the "greening" of the AQ campus. In the article, she notes that she has the support of President Balog in this effort. Deb says, "It's a movement galvanizing around the idea that we should remake our world-living a faith that works to assure ecological integrity, healthy communities and long-term financial prosperity for all." Deb speaks and teaches at the macrocosmic level, but she also realizes that this movement takes one individual at a time (the microcosmic level) to really change our world. In our text, sustainability is defined as a process that can be continued indefinitely; the practical goal toward which our interactions with the natural world should be working.

As soon as I heard the word "sustainability" at Aquinas, I was immediately struck by the analogous bridge it evoked linking our individual mind and body. Our current health care debate is causing all of us to come to terms with the question, "How might I sustain my health?Your body is a unique little world unto itself. One of the main problems with allopathic healthcare is that they treat each person like "one size fits all". That is not sustainable healthcare. Your body is a unique ecosystem, just as the Earth has unique ecosystems with different needs. "The question to ask yourself is, "Does the so-called healthcare of the current system really provide me with the treatment and the information that I need to be healthier and happier or...the opposite?" How do you take responsibility for yourself based on certain information?

The values we hold with regard to sustaining the health of our mind and body is one with the values we hold regarding how we interact with life on Earth. If a new healthcare system doesn't allow for individual choice based on your values and unique body needs, I would not support it. Many employers provide the option for a health flex plan as an alternative to the unsustainable cost of a standard healthcare policy. Every single disease is treatable with natural medicine; food, herbs, manual therapy, massage, cupping, acupuncture, and Reiki. These are sustainable treatment methods. In fact, they are as old as the human race. In addition, studies have shown that a sustainable mental attitude in life is one of relaxation, honest flow of feelings in balance with action, and meditation or prayer whereby you ask and receive guidance to make choices with your life.

The Name of the Earth's body is Gaia. Gaia, just like (your name here), is in need of sustainable balance. We are all in need of balance. In the article, Deb sites "faith" which connotes "values". Our bodies are one with Gaia because we wouldn't exist without her gifts. So the values we hold with regard to our health and health care is one and the same with our actions in our environment. The way we set up our houses, our use of energy, our actions in the community, our willingness to educate ourselves about the dynamics of our species with the environment, etc. all need to be sustainable and virtuous. We hold the belief that through our thoughts, choices, actions, and prayers, we can heal ourselves. At the same time, we are healing Gaia. As we sustain ourselves, we sustain the Earth.

What is Medical Massage/Manual Therapy?

2009-08-25T14:48:00.000-04:00

I am a graduate of The Blue Heron Academy of Arts & Sciences in Grand Rapids, MI; a state licensed, post secondary school. I have a Professional Manual Therapist Certificate (1200 hr.), a Master Herbalist Certificate (600 hr.), a Medical Acupuncture Certificate (600 hr.), and a Reiki Master Certificate (Reiki I, II, and Master level attunement). My Reiki Teacher was Danielle DeVoe of Frankfurt, MI. Blue Heron Academy is a post secondary, holistic medicine academy owned by Dr. Gregory Lawton, DC. The Academy is licensed by the state to legally certify me as a massage therapist. I sat for the AMMA Diplomat Exam in May 2002 and passed. This is the most difficult massage exam given in the country. Our training and testing standards for soft tissue work are the highest in the nation. In the past, I have worked in consultation with DC’s in their offices, billed insurance, and had my own private practice for 6 years. I am exclusively an independent practitioner now.

Medical Massage

Medical Massage is a soft tissue therapy protocol that combines deep tissue massage with manual joint mobilization. We use a dry hand with traditional and original techniques designed to reduce pain, spasm, and inflammation in a non-invasive, non-painful manner. It is not the same as physical therapy, but is not completely dissimilar. It is more. It is related to chiropractic but there is no adjusting and the whole focus of the treatment is soft tissue work, not skeletal. It is related to relaxation/therapeutic massage in that we treat the soft tissue, but we do not use oil and we do not do full body massage. Our focus is always clinical/medical at the injury site and sub-clinical conditions that precede it. Medical Massage has two main treatment goals; the reduction of inflammation and the re-establishment of normal range of motion in joint and connective tissue. With our techniques, we are able to penetrate tissue to the periosteum; the origin of many pathologies. We accomplish all of this with the use of our hands, nothing more. We are trained at length in anatomy, especially the muscles, but specifically in ligament pathology, location of ligaments and nerves, and how to tactilely evaluate the soft tissue and treat it accordingly. I have been in practice for 6 years and have seen this work on hundreds of patients where physical therapy, therapeutic massage, surgery, or drugs, have failed. This is not always the case, but many times it is. Reason being, the way I work is so different than others. Medical Massage includes therapeutic modalities such as heat (infrared lamp) and cold, range of motion assessment, postural folding with deep manual therapy, Chinese herbal liniment post-treatment, some therapeutic exercise programs (although if a patient is seeing a PT covered by insurance, they cover this), and stretching.

Patient Management

Patients are seen for therapy with acute, sub-acute, chronic, and chronic-active conditions. They are treated for their specific presenting symptoms and may need to initially be seen 3 times a week, for 2 weeks for nerve re-education. I then re-assess and possibly cut back to 2 times a week. Eventually, treatments stop when the patient is fine. They can then call me as needed. Specific clinical treatment goals are established for each patient based on how old the injury is or what the condition is. The goal is usually a decrease in pain and increase in normal function for longer periods of time. Sometimes, it is to wean off a med with side effects and commence with herbs/food to treat, which I can do with their Dr. if requested. I have a pre-pay plan that offers discounts as an initial incentive to commit to 10 treatments. This works well. I also have a strict 24-hour cancellation policy that you sign at your first appointment.

Your Dreams Can Help You Heal

2009-08-24T14:57:00.000-04:00

You'll see at the bottom of this page a list of book recommendations. Included in that list is "The Secret History of Dreaming" by Robert Moss. He's also written many other books on dreaming which I'm sure you can find online. This is a very entertaining and interesting read. He highlights Joan of Arc, Lucrecia de Leon, Harriet Tubman, Mark Twain, Wolfgang Pauli, and Winston Churchill as the famous people whose lives and work absolutely hinged on their connection to their dream life. Your dream life is, the 8 hours you spend sleeping. Metaphysicians, such as myself, believe that it is when you are physically asleep that you are most spiritually awake. And when your are physically awake, you are most spiritually asleep-or in the illusory trance we call life on Earth-and a very far stretch-reality.

This book has changed my life. When you read about someone's extraordinary life, it's very important to internalize and meditate on the truth of it. If that individual can do it, so can you, in your own way. I now keep a dream journal next to my bed and upon waking in the morning-just lie still in a very relaxed mental state and let my sleep world spill over into my waking mind. It is a fascinating transition, and one that you have to work at. It's a kind of meditation. The mind is a most powerful thing. The power of the mind, the will, and the attitude in healing is well documented. Any doctor, no matter what they believe, will tell you that. In the holistic healing field, it is especially significant. In order to find balance in the body, first you must balance the mind. Remembering, mining, your dreams will aid you in that quest. It is not an overstatement to say that the individuals who regularly remember and heed their dreams, change the course of human events and themselves. Change is the only constant in life. Dreams are constant also. Whether you remember your dreams or not, you dream every night. Your dreams are truly a gift from Source. Who you are in spirit, the needs and desires of that spirit, what you have to share with the world, is given to you through your mind. What we really need to live a fulfilling life and heal from our past and the regular struggles of this Earth can be found in our dreams. I encourage you to take the time each morning to be patient, to pray and ask that your Higher Power help you remember your dreams, respect your mind and your body and what it has to say to your soul.

What is Reiki?

2009-08-18T14:33:00.000-04:00

"Rei" is Japanese for Universal. "Ki" is Japanese for Life Force. Ki is the same word as the Chinese Qi (Chi). Ki is Qi. The Tao Te Ching elucidates some of these concepts very well. Ki is invisible energy-like the wind. You know it's there as you can feel it blowing, you can see that it moves "things" and you can feel the temperature of it, but the wind is invisible. Reiki is the same. I "allow" the Ki to flow through me as a channel into your body, through my hands, in the places where you need it most. My hands hover over your body (most of the time) and you may feel heat (sometimes very hot), cold/cool, or a magnetic pull. The temperature varies at all times. I am an attuned Reiki Master. I suppose a modern analogy would be like an ordained minister of the Church-but we won't get into quite divergent theology here. My teacher was Danielle DeVoe of Frankfurt, MI. I had unforgettable lessons and attunements in the year 1999 and 2000-as my son Alex was growing in me and as I gave birth to him. The two were definitely connected.

Healing is what I have to offer you-and thus myself. So, it's a win/win situation. Reiki affects the etheric body that is the eternal you. I just finished reading James Redfield's "The Tenth Insight". In it, he states the 11th insight which refers to a method for healing. He says, "There is a latent power of the mind within all of us that mysteriously helps to affect what occurs in the future. It has been called faith power, positive thinking, and the power of prayer. We are now taking this power seriously enough to bring a fuller knowledge of it into public awareness. We are finding that this prayer power is a field of intention (Wayne Dyer), which moves out from us and can be extended and strengthened, especially when we connect with others in a common vision." That is not specifically Reiki, but it is related to it.

If you come to me with a vision of yourself, or wanting me to mirror an image of your healed self back to you, it will increase the Reiki energy that is available to me to aid in your healing. So your mind is instrumental in your own healing. I am aided on all levels to affect your body on all 7 levels that correspond to your chakras. The chakras are energy wheels that anchor your eternal self to your physical body. 1st chakra is the etheric body, 2nd chakra is the emotional body, 3rd chakra is the mental body, 4th chakra is the astral body, 5th chakra is the etheric template body, 6th chakra is the celestial body, and the 7th body is the ketheric body. You didn't know you had 7 bodies did you? These energy centers, depending on the condition of your Ki, pulsate at a certain speed and color. These colors change from day to day, even hour to hour. Some clairvoyants read auras, but I think it's a bit of a waste of time as they change so rapidly and don't really tell you anything lasting about yourself. Change is constant in the universe and that includes us. But luckily, you always have a choice.