Memorial Day - a Memorial Day in the Present

Maybe I should call this memory day. On this day I have my wife's parents struggling with one of the hardest diseases of all -- Alzheimer's. These people are drugged, set aside behind locked doors, and told anything but the truth, all to control them enough so that they are safe to themselves and to the others around them. Some people would say that sounds like politics as usual.

So why do I mention all this because we all know we all have problems. So why relent and complain? Why not be positive and keep looking up at the sky?

I think because I learned a few lessons along the way. My mother-in-law would not take high blood pressure medication so we called the doctor. He put her into the system and she wound up in a lock down facility where they diagnosed, treated, and medicated her with the latest psychotropic drugs. They were proud of themselves and call themselves state-of-the-art, the latest in today's treatments for Seniors. Now she is a controlled person, not out-of-control.

My first visit after they declared her controlled -- she ordered them out of her room and refused medications. Ah, I said, they have problem too!

But they persisted and after three days of controlled behavior they can downsize her to a facility willing to lock them up with no key to get out -- only key pads with special numbers that limit access in or out. Now there, she wanted out and ordered them out -- right now, do what I say, I tell you, let me go right now. After a few more days she resolved her resolute attitude to being glad to see anyone who would visit her. I can't help but think that could be me.

In an interview with a Doctor he began to extol the virtues of their program. You must change your thinking, he said, do not ask yes or no questions, simply direct them. They will over time begin to follow directions. We keep upping the medication until they do. Then we drop it down. When they are controllable on a smaller dose, then we can let them go to a proper facility that can manage their care.

Would you tell a child who is going to the Dentist that they will pull his teeth and inject needles to fix his dental problems? No. You make it a nice time and let the dentist do their job. So it is with children. Seniors become like children. You must take responsibility for their welfare. Only make someone else the bad guy. If they can't go into a room, lock it and say the city won't allow anyone in there anymore. If they must not leave the house, put on a latch and prevent them from going out. When they are not willing to take medication, then grind it up and put it into ice cream, food, or drink -- be creative but give them medication.

I thought, how strange, we could have been told that on day one. Grind up the high blood pressure medication and give it to her in ice cream. End of story -- no lock down, no Alzheimer's unit, and no loss of freedom from living at home where the folks love to stay. No invocation of Durable Power of Attorney for medical treatment, for finances -- no power struggles within a family that has hidden agenda. But no, too late, my lesson came too late, the damage is done.

The silliest policy I have ever heard of is "let us see what will happen." Given a decade in Iraq need I say more. The only sillier one I've heard is "let us pull out as soon as possible", or how about "in six months I will lead our country out of there because I'm a leader." How about, "this could take 100 years." We should be involved, anxiously engaged in foreign affairs with sound and wise policy makers. It doesn't matter to me if it be Republican, Democrat or even Independent -- a sound and wise policy should resonate, and make even more sense over time.

Why did we get introduced to sound and wise policies after it could of helped us maintain the folks with greater independence in their own home? Now the radar is off the map, the controllers in the system have pat answers, and when we step into help we are considered visitors. They certainly listen to us but the decisions feel like a war zone. Your Mother-In-Law is being transfered this morning to XYZ location and you need to sign the dotted line for her care.

Dad followed quickly after Mom. Yes, he is in a lock-down facility. Only he plots constantly to escape. Unfortunately his memory shows less promise. It is sad when you tell him you are David (my name) and when you leave he tells you, "my name is David." Is that memory with a lisp? One day he actually made it out. They caught him and brought him back.

Now we have responsible parties in the family. Now we have doctors appointing and ordaining those to control the decisions, the money, the future of these seniors -- with a veiled threat that should they choose unwisely, they will be held accountable in court for a bad decision.

Today my Mom called me -- and we talked as I sat in my Father-In-Law's office and got his computer working again. It hit me as I saw his computer expertise, the fine books collected from all kinds of knowledge pools, and the incredible ingenuity of his office that this was the mark of an educated, astute, and successful man. My Mom asked me when I could visit her and all I could think of was the goal of passing the acupuncture boards and paying off student loans. It was hard to be there for her and I think she sensed it.

In all our getting, get understanding -- that is what proverbs says. And the words Jeff House wrote in college came back to me. "Take no heed, of the people by your side, just relax, flow gently with the current, sail, like the gulls gliding gently in the wind" -- somewhere in that passage is a message -- one that gives us strength past difficult times. Yes, I need to visit my Mom. I think it is important to give those around us our best foot forward at the time they need it.

Maybe I'll end on this note -- I believe with all my heart that my wife's Mother and Dad know we tried everything to keep them independent, we loved them the best we could when we could, and we'll continue to learn lessons so that we may continue to be there for them. I do believe in family as our most precious resource and the primary unit of our society. And where it falls down, we must in our humanity pick it up for those around us and keep moving forward.

What we survived as Kids

It is amazing that we survive from childhood. What are some of your stories?

The first time I rode a bike, I took it up a small hill. I reasoned that by getting on it while going down hill would solve the problem of not knowing how to ride. After all, it only made sense that if the bike were in motion from the hill -- all I had to do was hang on. And hang on I did -- down the hill where I found I couldn't turn it. I saw my Mother's clothes line coming up on me so I ducked. Wow, I missed that I thought as I looked behind me. Bam! I hit a fence and the bike came to rest but I continued on over the fence and landed in my next door neighbor's yard.

Some things I don't remember exactly and had to have hypnosis to bring them out. Like the day I was climbing a fence and slipped. So I had my arm pit stuck in the tines of a chain link fence. Someone had to lift me off. Or the day I went to save the cat who had climbed a tree. That day I was waving in the wind high above the ground with the cat backing up above me. A fire ladder truck came out and got me first, then the cat.

How about the time I was returning from work and decided to play hand ball -- so we climbed a building so we could play on the roof. After all, everyone else was sleeping. After an hour of fast play we came down and were passing a phone booth. The friend I was with, Gary Crumbpacker, had bet me that he could make a free phone call with a nickel. I thought that was crazy since someone had cut off the phone completely and taken the receiver. How could you make a phone call with no receiver. Just watch me, he said. So he took off his shoe and was pounding on the pay phone with his heel while placing a nickel in the slot. I caught an incoming police car checking us out in the corner of my eye and immediately slid underneath the fence. They brought in six or seven cars and tried to catch me. I ran incognito into back yards, over fences, through woody areas, down storm drains, and kept low to the ground and out of sight. They kept looking for me for months. They kept bringing Gary in and asking him who his partner was that stole the phone.

I bet we all have stories we laugh about and think -- it is amazing that we made it in one piece in this crazy world.

Avoiding Hospital Visits

Hospital visits are rarely fun. They often happen because we are not listening to our body. It will tell us long before it gets that point that something is wrong. In our society of cars, houses, machines for every task -- we begin to zone out the weather. The outside environment only touches us as it gets nasty. That is the way our health hits us. After a few nasty bouts of fatigue, constipation, diarrhea, pain, limited range of motion -- the signs and symptoms are usually there and identifying what we are ignoring.

Proactive health starts with listening. Look at the physical layer. Eat something, listen to our body's reaction. How does it react long term to our choices? Finish an activity, listen to our body's reaction. Does it recover gracefully or complain for three days? Drink something, listen to our reaction. Is there a shocking feeling with cold? or hot? or spicy? or does it feel great afterward? Are you keeping the body hydrated? It is the most common cause of making the problems go over the edge -- what edge? It is the edge where the body throws a fit and breaks down normal functioning.

Proactive health continues with choices at a mental, social, emotional, and even spiritual level. A state of well-being is a great choice of words. Positive thoughts release endorphins which more the body into a state of relaxation -- lessening the harsh effect of our physical world. Try achieving a sense of the runners high in any workout. Its effect lasts all day. Be curious and observant -- the simple act of discovery in art, drama, or music captures not only the imagination but releases healthy endorphins. A moving moment moves us within -- much like simple kindnesses move our fellow travelers in this world -- share the movement and it releases great endorphins for all who are involved and sometimes to those who are watching.

A bit of sun -- yes, it releases endorphins. A bite of chocolate (dark chocolate) -- yeah, it releases endorphins. Chili peppers -- wow, there it goes again. A good thing can be over done -- too much exercise, chocolate, hot peppers, sun will erode it initial positive benefits. Strive for that balance and maybe it will avoid a hospital visit.

Healers

Healers are a rare breed ... people want to believe in someone who can do the mystical. I've been accused of being a healer. I see it in black and white. Do the right thing for the body and the body heals itself. Does that make me the healer? I think not.

So are there healers out there that do heal? Certainly, it is a gift to see what must be done but the healing is always within the person in my view. I know there are other views out there and I accept them. I'm not sure that my view is correct. A healer that does a great job of healing taps into the secret of healing, the craft of healing, or the art of healing.

What about miracles? I believe in miracles. They happen all around us everyday. They are part of the duality of our physical world and the spiritual dimensions that we do not see. They affect our life constantly. The power of prayer, the synergistic effect of healing energies, and many other modalities are almost an endless source of untapped power to help heal the body, mind, and spirit. I don't claim to understand that part of healing. I don't think anyone does. Many healers use that spiritual domain to effect a healing -- much like a healing crisis brought about by fasting, a healing crisis may be brought about by intention. Amazing.

I'm not sure how it works. How do I write a song? I don't know. But it comes out of me every so often and feels so great. Healers are the song writers for disease recovery.

Hormones verses Neuro-Tranmitters - the Back

A friend came up to me and asked my opinion. He is in pain due to a back deteriorating by bone growing inward towards the spine. They have progressively operated on him. He plans to undertake another operation which puts a titanium sleeve inside the spinal cord. They have to scrape out the existing space which has been lessened by calcium growth. Hmm. Already a tough situation.

Now he wants to prepare for the operation by boosting hormones in his body in the right proportions so that the pain is lessened and his body is better prepared for it. Another risky thing to do to your health. It benefits the short term -- the longer term is unknown.

So what do I recommend?

I recommend testing the Neuro-Transmitters in the body to see what their balance is ... that gives the steady stream of hormones that balance the hormones through the body. Once the balance is known, use supplements to re-balance them. And re-test as the body will no longer need the boost. Why? The body will produce the right hormones given the right mix of neuro-transmitters.

And what is the difference?

1. When the body gets hormones from the outside, it no longer needs to produce them -- it shuts down production. The lessens the ability to react in the long term. The pill or hormone treatment becomes the body's source. Medical science does not know enough about how much, when, and how long a single hormone is needed. Science does not know the intricate details of how to balance that hormone with other hormones. Yes, it is possible to force nature this way but it has many drawbacks. Many people, once on hormones can't come off them.
   
2. Supplements tune the body so that the body is in charge of its own recovery. All the steps of recovery are not known at this time. It is a marvelous process that needs encouragement but not replacement. Supplements stop when the body can keep up -- when the body is in balance.
   
3. Testing is the second voided urine of the day and 4 collections of saliva at 4-5 hour intervals during the day. It is frozen and overnighted directly to the lab. Tuning involves taking a scientific view of the balance and creating supplements which anchor and supplement the deficiencies. A team of medical experts with over 15 years experience at such balancing with nutrition and herbs help create the plan.

Read more on the functional assessment of Sanesco.

I actually believe that much of what is called Traditional Chinese Medicine does the same thing with herbs with over 50 identified patterns in the body. I see this group at Sanesco doing the same thing -- identifying patterns which match neural transmitter dysfunction. Only in Chinese Medicine they use names that have carried on for 80 generations of doctors. They simply use the same terms and agree on its characteristics. Many Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners get excellent results by translating the signs and symptoms of any disorder into a known pattern or patterns -- voila, they apply the proper needles, herbs, moxa, cupping, food, life style exercises, massage, medication, packs, poultices, essential oils, and many more modalities. Only the original patterns are the guiding light behind each treatment.

If you ask me what I would do for his back, that would be a tougher problem. Certainly, it differs from the usual "breaking out" of deteriorating backs. Whatever he does I would recommend something gentle like Effie Chow's Qi Qong for spinal recovery and the type of tui na that extends the spine, puts more space between each vertebrae, and, finally, rocks each vertebrae down individually till there is free movement. Certainly, no free flow equals pain. And the tui na practitioner should open the water channel and certainly feed earth. Often they will need to work with the Yang side of wood and secure free movement in the sacral region.

A Christmas Delight

For me the Latter Day Saint temple in San Diego is like a fairy tale princess castle. It was a perfect place to be married. Here are a few shots from the wedding.

Knowing Without Knowing

The patient was there in the morning when I arrived. I had a standing appointment and wondered how it would go this time. My feedback from last time had been nothing. He met me with struggled words pieced together between difficulty swallowing. No movements were perceptible beyond facial expression and an occasional sway -- but ever so slight. I was there for an hour session and I did my best. My best was to let go of my expectations and to follow my intuition. A knowing without knowing, what the Chinese call wu wie. What did I do? I had him breathe and follow his breath with imaginary light. Meditation is a powerful key. A smile emerges which tells me that progress is being made. Humanity fills the air when we help another human being -- something Godlike in my mind is something that happens because air and water, time and space express more than ourselves.

Next time was clear. More of the same -- more of what I don't know.