I Have a Question

Since entering the Oriental Medicine field this "I have a question" has grown a bit larger with greater responsibility. And sometimes what I say does not translate into exact play by play action. And sometimes we make mistakes. Yes, that is the life of a practice. Not all is perfect. Even The Land of Oz had the little man behind the curtain that you were supposed to not pay attention to except that Toto, Dorothy's little dog, kept yapping away at him.

A degree in any field is only a beginning of a long and arduous journey. I remember asking a patient to add Oregano Oil to help combat some problems in a specific way. He bought the oil and added it to his chicken meal. NO, DO NOT DO THAT! Pure Oregano oil on chicken -- it tasted terrible, of course. I had even written down instructions. No matter, it was put on the chicken.

One of my favorite supplements is kelp in dispenser that you sprinkle lightly on sandwiches or salads or other food. One patient put a large tablespoon in her food and it taste terrible. Only a sprinkle I had said -- oh, and that was the last time they tried it. Things don't always translate.

It reminds me of studying martial arts. My martial art teacher used to worry about someone stealing his system and teaching it. After years of watching his senior students he realized, it is nearly impossible to steal it. It is nearly impossible to learn it in the first place, even for the best of his students. To someone who knows the art and does it well -- almost any art, it is almost impossible to steal it.

My teacher used to say, you learn it on different levels. First, you see it and try the best you can. Then you use it and gain some understanding of it. Then you memorize it and repeat it at slow, medium, and fast speeds. You try everything out on bags, pounding away -- letting the bags teach you what did not work. Then you try it in sparring, letting the matches teach you what did not work. Over time, your body takes over and teaches you what your mind could not learn. Then you begin a process of meditation. The awareness kicks in and the levels repeat themselves all over again. The senses and the sensing of energy add a new dimension. By then the teacher has gone over three different levels of using each move ... from simple strikes to point work where a point is hit, to grappling or seizing, to throws, to nerve strikes, or even multiple strikes working in concert with each other.

And if you have done all that -- you deserve to teach it.

George Pickens Memorial

This link will go to a memorial for George Pickens. He lived a great life. He will always be remembered by those who loved him and those who were loved by him. I only knew him a short while and he grew on me. I know that throughout my life I will think of him and his funny sense of humor. In his grossly understated way he often tackled difficult and puzzling problems and came out victorious.

Arm Pit Genius

Mothers make the best doctors. Over a parcel of children Mom is bound to pick up a few tips. In one home a wonderful Mother talked about a treatment prescribed by her children's doctor for a cold. Take Vic vapor rub and rub it on the chest -- okay so we've all done that a bit. But wait, now rub it under the arm pits and on the bottom of the feet where the sweat glands make an easy entry for the body. Then it has a greater effect. It worked like a charm across five children.

At times I wish I could remember all that I forgot. It would certainly fill up more that what I remember. I used to place onions under my feet with socks so that they would pull out toxins for my bronchial problems. I used onion packs on my chest at times. And once I used ginger and potatoes laced together on my chest. These were all old herbal remedies that kept my lungs clear and healthy through a cold winter.

Good medicine requires fundamental principles which drive the art of helping others get better. It is not so much the exact thing we do -- but the whys behind what is done. I used to worry with bronchial problems that the vics vapor rub would heat and then I'd be left with this cooling down. That would make me worse. I had never thought to penetrate it more deeply by using the arm pits and feet. Sometimes there are subtle differences in execution that make a big difference in its effect.

At a convalescent center I watched a patient take her pills in the morning all in one shot. The nurse had the supplements, high blood pressure medication, water pills for the heart, medication for acid reflex, aspirin, and a bit more I didn't quite pick up from the conversation. The patient remarked that each time she took it -- it gave her nausea, made her dizzy, and she felt lousy all day. I asked her if she took them all at once at home. Absolutely not!

It reminded me that supplements, herbs, and medicine should not be taken together. They all have their own absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion profile. Taking them together changes that profile and could possibly apply the drugs quicker, weaken the body's ability to absorb the nutrients in the multi-vitamin, and cause any herb to shift its effect on the body. Even mixing medicines should be carefully thought out and not simply thrown into a mix.

I think we could all use a bit more of arm pit genius in our approaches to medicine since most all of us today self-diagnose and self-dispense from our local pharmacy, local health food stores, and mix it all in with various practitioners.

Religious Intolerance

This morning I found a site that referenced a speech by a Christian that put together a website and presentation to explain why "Mormons are not Christians". It reminds me of going into a Christian book store and finding a book on cults. I excitedly opened the book because I was thinking of the strange cults we've seen that have committed mass suicide following false prophets. The chapters read like main stream Christianity. Catholics, Seventh Day Adventists, Mormons, and Jehovah's Witnesses -- the list goes on but why? If someone believes in Christ and strives to live a Christ-like life from any religion or even non-religion, why would anyone put them down as non-Christian? And why would anyone tear someone's religion down?

Personally I have many Catholic, Seventh Day Adventist, Mormon, and Jehovah's Witnesses friends. I rejoice in their belief in our beloved Lord and Savior -- Jesus Christ. I enjoy their fresh point of view. And I find that even within my own religion no two people have a conjoined opinion of what the truth fully encompasses.

My Father belongs to a different religion. One day while attending one of his services he remarked, I can see that you will only be happy in your own religion. I thought about that all day -- I did not sing the songs, I did not enjoy the sermons, and I was hiding out in my own beliefs as if they were any better than anybody else's beliefs. I corrected that behavior. It was absurd. I attended some sing-a-longs with my Father and began enjoying his church, friends, and choices of worship. I did not give up my own beliefs but I gave back respect for my Father's beliefs.

That simple change changed our relationship. He could be more open and talk about his beliefs without feeling like judgment was about him. It is not about us and what we believe. Do we even have the capacity in this life to understand eternity? I think not. I think God is so great because he gives us all freedom of choice. I fundamentally believe that God touches all people from all cultures irregardless of gender, race, creed, or religion.

One book I've always loved to read is "The Religions of America" where each religion is given a chance to express their beliefs. In a nut shell -- it sheds the best light on their faith, their aspirations, and their hope in a future. Religious intolerance drove many people to an America that was founded on the freedom to worship how, where, and what they may. Intolerance did not disappear with the establishment of an American government. Intolerance continued in many forms. To our credit as a nation and as a society, we have grown to accept our neighbors much like Christ spoke about the Good Samaritan.

It is my hope and prayer that we will continue to set the standard for tolerance for all people irregardless of gender, race, creed, or religion. I'm always reminded of a wise man who once told me that "we should never talk against someone's faith because we might be successful and there might not be something to replace it."

2009 and A New President

It seems like forever but now the time is upon us -- the inaugural plays out in all of our minds as a new President is sworn in. President Barack Obama brings in an era of hope that the war in Iraq will come to an orderly close. He rises with the expectation that every American will be covered by health insurance. He comes at a time of near economic collapse where the choices are difficult and clouded by uncertainty. After many years of staying the course for oil imports, we finally have a glimmer of hope that alternative solutions will be allowed to entirely replace our excessive stripping of the land of non-renewable resources. We might actually stop funding terrorists globally and get back to the business of promoting freedom within our country.

However you see the last eight years, it is certain that they have left us trillions of dollars in debt and a continuing saga to solve the crisis with more trillions of dollars in debt. History has shown that a country can overspend and collapse. History has shown that a country can over extend and be weak from reaching too far. History has shown the struggles of many civilizations that thought they were invincible -- bigger than God so to speak.

America's strength lies in its allegience to the great creator that helped our founding fathers establish a more perfect union of states to ensure the life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness to the people -- its citizens. I trust in that same divine strength to pull us through these hard times. I pray daily that our congressmen, judges, and members of the executive branch will be inspired to help lead us away from these difficulties.

That'll be one Mayo Please

As I worked on a patient the other day, we were having so much fun. I was putting on some strong liniment for some deeper ligaments. I mentioned that Chinese Woodlock had turpentine oil in it. She came back with, "we used to use turpentine or kerosene to kill the lice." The thought of turpentine on the hair brought up quite a laugh. Then she said they found an easier way to fight them -- simply put mayonnaise on your hair for 4-5 minutes which will kill the lice because they can't breathe. Only you'll need a plastic bag because it is so oily and messy. Then you comb it out for the knits and they come out like crazy. Now that is the gross part.

After a few days she comes back and repeats the process because with lice they can hatch later so you need to get the hatching eggs.

Lice and mayonnaise -- now seriously, can you top that? If so, I'd like to hear it!

Life's Madness In the Trenches

Life's madness is that we keep trenching through time looking for a passageway
one foot at a time with our shovels and picks.  All we had to do was lift
ourselves up out of the trench and go our way but it seemed easier to do the
task at hand.  We are so serious!

Do you have any favorite trench stories?  My favorite is from "Stories for the Heart"
compiled by Alice Gray.  An author unknown shared the following story of courage in
the chapter on compassion.  It is paraphrased in my own words below.

Did you read about the thick of battle in World War I when the trenches of
Germans and Americans were separated by a barb wire fence.  There was shelling
and constant battles to cross over.  This was a snowy, cold day early in December
of 1917.

A German soldier had jumped out of the trench to fire down on the Americans.
He was gunned down and fell over the barb wire.  For the longest time he
called out for anyone to help him to no avail.  Finally, the American fire
stopped and a lone soldier crawled toward him amidst the German fire trying
to pick him off.  As he neared the German solder the fire stopped.  The American
stood up and helped the wounded soldier off the barb wire.  He crossed over
to the German trench and helped him down to his own men.

As he turned to go back, he felt a hand on his shoulder.  A German officer
pulled an iron cross off his uniform and gave it to him.  It was the highest
award given a German soldier for meritorious duty in battle.  The American
returned in silence to the American trench -- no one fired on him and peace
ensued for the breadth of the rescue.  The fighting and shelling resumed.  For
one moment the bravery and unselfish behavior of one soldier touched them all.

un-paraphase

May we all find the courage to lift out of the trench especially to help those
around us caught up in the spectra of life.