EXPO TARGETS HEALTHY GROWTH AND GROWING HEALTH
Whole Life Network Release
The
13th Annual Whole Life Expo, “Networking the Western Slope for
Healthy Communities”, on Saturday, April 7 will be held from 9:30-4:30 at the
Montrose Pavilion. The Whole Life
Network, sponsor of this annual event, is an enduring grass-roots organization
that has adapted its services to the needs of the Montrose area community for
19 years. This year the Expo is
dedicated to providing the best educational experience available on
complementary health and progress on local environmental issues.
You
can attend timely presentations during the day. Health Care for All Colorado will be addressed by Dick
Gingery, M.D. of Montorse County Health and Human Services. Dr. Gingery, a
founding member of the Whole Life Network, has been recommended for the
Governor’s Blue Ribbon Committee on Health Care Reform. Conflicts between growth and wildlife will
be discussed by Shirley Jentsch of San Juan Corridors coalition. Growth—Keeping Wildlife in Mind,
illustrates the similar problems shared by many Western Colorado and resort
communities. (For a complete schedule
of presentations turn to page five.)
Here
are some samplings of the many attractions that will be yours to explore and
enjoy.
You’ll
want to check out your current state of wellness by visiting with Jeanne
Russell of Energ4LIFE. She has a
biofeedback system that identifies over 7,000 known stressors to the body,
caused by food, toxins, genetics, lifestyle or environment. Are you feeling a little stiff? Come by Cheryl Adam’s booth for a
massage to feet or back, neck and shoulders.
Be sure to talk to Carol Harris-Fike. She is offering coaching sessions and seminars based on the
teachings found in the hit movie, The Secret.
Solar Energy International will be available to answer your
questions on renewable energy technologies.
You can spend the whole
day with us! As you enter be sure to
register for door prizes donated by our vendors. Shop around, take in a free lecture, listen to the music of David
and Tamara Hauze, dine on the lunches provided by The Daily Bread,
network with your friends and enjoy the energy of like-minded spirits. One more thing: The Whole Life Network is a
non-profit organization, and we will have a table at the entryway doors so you
can find out more about what we are doing and why you may want to join our
‘family’. (booth space is still available, see page 2)
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Education Series Continues in April
Whole Life Network Release
Here’s your opportunity
to attend a presentation entitled “The Importance of the Coherence of the Body,
Emotions, and Language in Becoming Who We Want to Be”, by Carol Harris-Fike.
The date of this event is April 18th at 6:30 pm at The Stone Clan
Education Center, 735 65.30 Rd. in Montrose.
Carol Harris-Fike is a
professional coach and consultant. She specializes in helping her clients make
subtle shifts with their language, their bodies, and their emotions so that
powerful actions can then be taken resulting in manifesting what they want.
Carol is a graduate of two Newfield Network programs that emphasize the
importance of the coherence of the body, emotions, and language.
Harris-Fike’s
presentation will explain some of the latest brain/body research on the body
and emotions and how this understanding is showing us the importance of
exploring our body positions, where our emotions are created and stored
(sometimes blocked) in our bodies, as well as our use of language, whether
thoughts or written or spoken language.
Carol is also an
international consultant in the areas of cognition and metacognition using the
latest brain/body research to help educators learn how we learn. Harris-Fike
received a B.S. from Texas Tech University and a Masters of Educational
Administration from Texas University at Austin. She has also done graduate work
with Lesley College. She includes ontological coaching skills in her work
through CHF Coaching & Consulting, LLC and through
Kaleidoscope Coaches. Individual and organizational clients are coached in
distinctions of how the body, emotions, and language all work together to
create who we are and how we can change in the way we relate with ourselves and
others to realize our goals.
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Remembering Aztlán
a Column of Poetry,
Culture & Spirit by Art Goodtimes
Fulfilling dreams
requires overcoming obstacles
GAUNTLET
… The legal system has thrown down the gauntlet. The entire economic and
political structure of the country mitigates against what Telluride is trying
to do to preserve its gateway Valley Floor entrance from rampant development …
While the decision from Judge Greenacre’s Delta court is disappointing, it
wasn’t unexpected. The people of Telluride are going against the grain of
private property rights, big money and the biases of the legal and legislative
infrastructure in this state … If they were trying to make money for
themselves, instead of seeking to protect the environment for their children,
everyone would understand. And the laws and process would have run their way …
But they aren’t. And the way isn’t easy … If Telluride folks want this dream of
a Valley Floor free of luxury development, it’s going to take twice the effort
already expended, twice the valuation folks believed to be fair … So will
Telluride prove the world wrong and do the impossible? Stay tuned.
CHUPADERO
… Got down to New Mexico recently for a poetry reading outside Tesuque, which
is outside Santa Fe. The little residential area where Paul White and Therese
lived was called Chupadero, and for several years they’ve hosted poetry
readings there that are both well-attended and fun … My good friend Judyth Hill
and I got to perform together – something we hadn’t done in years. She’s a
marvelous poet, chocolate maven, essayist, teacher and performer, and we do a
mighty gripping one-two … Plus, there was a potluck and open reading after. And
I had the good fortune spend the night in good conversation and impromptu
drumming – nothing better after enjoying a romp with the lyric valuables.
TALKING GOURDS …
April is the month to explore Telluride in the off-season, when most folks are
gone, and the high mountains are changelings – going from snow bunnies to mud
bears, occasionally several times in the same day. Over the Earth Day weekend,
April 20-22, the Telluride Writers Guild is sponsoring its annual poetry
festival, with the winners of the 2006 National Slam competition, the Denver
Slam Team All-Stars directed by Ted Vaca, along with last year’s smash attraction
Roc’em Soc’em – Day Acoli, Bianca Mikahn, and Oracle Speaks. Behind the
headliners will be Tres Chicas from the Santa Fe area – the incomparable Joan
Logghe, Renee Gregorio and Mirian Sagan, as well as zoEy bEnally of Shiprock,
David Feela of Cortez and Aaron Abeyta of the San Luis Valley with his Grizzly
Growlers Poetry Troupe … Tickets are $100 for the whole weekend, or come for a
day and get individual event tickets for the walks, installations, interactive
workshops, open readings and performances, as well as this year’s awarding of
the Tellus Prize for the best poetry video of the year, “Committing Poetry in a
Time of War” from the New Mexico-based Poetic Justice. All events take place at
the historic Sheridan Opera House in Telluride. For tickets, go to
www.tellurideticket.com and for more info on the festival, www.ahhaa.org/writers_guild.
SPEAKING OF VALUABLES
… A new breakthrough, announced in London three months ago, is shaking the very
foundations of the pharmaceutical industry. British journalist Chris Floyd has
called it “one of the most transformative developments ever seen in global
affairs.” … The approach, released under the rubric of “ethical
pharmaceuticals," was unveiled Jan. 2 by Sunil Shaunak, professor of
infectious diseases at Imperial College, and Steve Brocchini of the London
School of Pharmacy. In short, teams of scientists in India and the UK have
developed a method of making small but significant changes to the molecular
structure of existing drugs, thereby transforming them into new products,
circumventing the long-term patents used by the corporate drug barons. If it’s
successful, this breakthrough will give the world's poorest and most vulnerable
people access to life-saving medicines currently priced out of their reach …
But the change is not merely biochemical. Shaunak's team is proposing a new
model for pharmaceuticals. The patent for the transformed drug they have
developed is held by non-profit Imperial University. And because their methods
are hundreds of millions cheaper than the mammoth development costs of the big
pharmaceutical companies, Shaunak and his colleagues can market their vital
medicines for infectious diseases at near-giveaway levels, yet still stay in
business. "People in academic medicine have a choice," Shaunak told
an Imperial College journal. "They can use their ideas and creativity to
make large sums of money for small numbers of people, or they can look outwards
to the global community and make affordable treatments for common
diseases." … The first drug developed by the team is a new version of
interferon, the main treatment for Hepatitis C, a debilitating disease that
afflicts 200 million people worldwide. Yet only 30 million can afford the
medicine. That leaves the rest to face the chronic liver disease and premature
death that the illness inflicts. The cost of Hepatitis C treatment in the UK is
approximately $13,000 per patient per year, New Scientist reports. Nor
can a cheaper version of the existing interferon be made, because drug giants
Hoffman-La Roche and Schering Plough hold patents not only on the drug but also
on the standard way of adding the special molecules needed to enhance its
performance. So Shaunak and Brocchini invented a new way of attaching the
molecules -- from the inside, not the outside – that circumvents the patent
restrictions and produces a medicine that "appears to be as effective as
the existing product," according to Nature, the leading scientific
journal. Their novel methods might also be adapted to extend the effectiveness
of "drugs for other conditions such as HIV," at a fraction of current
costs, Shaunak told New Scientist. On average, it costs the drug
corporations $800 million to create a new drug; but by focusing on efficient
production rather than expanding profits for shareholders, or financing huge
glitzy worldwide ad campaigns to push market niche, or expending the vast
political lobbying dollars to maintain a favorable regulatory climate, Shaunak
says his team can now develop essential medicines for only a few million
dollars each … While their Hepatitis C medicine undergoes government-funded
clinical trials in India, Shaunak and Brocchini have been asked by Médecins
Sans Frontières to work on treatments for another ailment: Leishmaniasis, a
parasitical disease also known as black fever. It "occurs in the poorer
parts of the world: India, around the Mediterranean, South America,
Sudan," Shaunak told Spero News. "Again, there is a treatment
that cures the disease but in places like Bihar, India, the cost of the drug is
80 percent of a person's annual income. What we are going to do is make a
version of the drug which will be stable in hot climates and which will cost
about 10 percent of the price of the existing medicine." … Affordable
medicines. What a concept!
WEEKLY QUOTA …
This little gem from my writer buddy Kenn Amdahl of Denver: “Learned
yesterday that Queen Elizabeth actually drove a vehicle during one of the big
wars, so there is a tradition of the royal family serving in combat. Made me
think, geez: The queen of England has more military experience than our
president, vice president, secretary of state and past secretary of defense
COMBINED. Like I say, geez.”
ON THE ROAD
… The end of February to the beginning of March was one of those busy times for
me … Everyone has their seasons. In Telluride the ski/festival economy makes
for on-season/off-season phenomena. Two busy peaks and two dead slumps. Norwood
ranchers have regular seasons of busy and slow. Waitrons too … But for me there
are micro-bursts of frantic activity that are all over the calendar, and then
times of a bit less stress -- although being a commissioner is really a more
than 40-hour-a-week job, what with meetings of boards, commissions, task
forces, organizations, working groups, etc … It just turned out this midwinter
stretch heated up for me. Things started out with a special three-day
conference on forest collaboration sponsored by the Forest Restoration
Institute of Colorado State University in Fort Collins held at the Hotel
Colorado in Glenwood Springs ... As chair of the Burn Canyon Salvage Logging
Monitoring Task Force and a member of the executive committee of the Public
Lands Partnership (Delta, Montrose, Ouray and San Miguel counties), a statewide
meeting on collaboration was not to miss. There were presentations of
collaborations all over the state, including the two I’m part of (Mary Chapman
of Delta had a fine power point on both of those projects) and lots of
scientific reports to hand out. Courtney White of the Quivira Coalition gave a
tremendous presentation of the stream restoration work underway in New Mexico
using simple, inexpensive materials … From Glenwood I rushed over to Grand
Junction the next morning just in time to attend Club 20’s Public Lands
Steering Committee meeting where Dr. Bill Romme of Colorado Statue University
gave a presentation explaining that the bark beetle situation in the lodgepole
pine forests of the Front Range were not outside the range of normal
variability. He also explained the counter-intuitive scientific fact that once
bark beetle kill trees dropped their needles, the forest was actually less
susceptible to catastrophic fire than in its pre-beetle attack condition … Then
it was another rush to Montrose just in time to attend the executive committee
meeting of the Public Land Partnership, where we had our first solo meeting
with new director Pam Motley, and then a full group meeting where we heard
reports from our federal partners, Charlie Richmond of the U.S. Forest Service
in Delta and Barb Sharrow of the BLM in Montrose… And then a little sleep
before I caught a very early morning flight to DC via Denver for the National
Association of Counties annual legislative meeting, where the agenda included
battling for the Payment-In-Lieu-of-Taxes (PILT) program, creating policy
opposed to public land sales or acquisition without consultation with the
counties affected, dealing with global warming, and visiting our entire
congressional delegation.
NACO
… One excellent thing I learned in D.C. at the National Association of Counties
legislative meeting was a new prescription drug program that counties can set
up through NACo that will significant reduce prescription drug costs. I’m
asking our staff to look into it. Other Colorado counties like La Plata have
already joined this program, and provided substantial savings for those unable
to afford comprehensive health insurance coverage … Ask your local commissioner
about bringing this program to your county.
©
2006 Art Goodtimes
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Board of Directors 2007 Retreat
Whole Life Network Release
The
Whole Life Network is reaching out to the whole community. The initiative to become an inclusive,
non-divisive community network has unanimous agreement from your Board of
Directors. Our community is faced with so many important issues. These issues require a strong base of
support from thoughtful citizens. We trust our members to possess the courage
to embrace the challenges faced by our community, state, nation and planet. We
ask for your support as we move forward into a new direction for this
organization.
Traditionally,
the Whole Life Network has been focused on only the needs of our membership. We
have worked hard to promote holistic health and nutrition, support alternative
adjuncts to healthy living, and encourage sustainable living. Basically, this
approach has proven to be insufficient to maintain this organization. Our
membership has been falling; and, while we will not abandon this work, we will
be expanding our vision and activities.
Beginning
in 2007, Whole Life Network is going to be substantially different. We hope to
become the premier networking organization on the western slope. For example,
we now have contact with eleven conservation groups who we hope will come to
the aid of FORU. The goal is to save the Uncompahgre River with conscious
growth instead of destructive development. Our vision is to have many
collaborations to help our community.
Currently,
the Whole Life Network is supporting, in principle, the work being done by
Health Care for All Colorado, FORU (For the River Uncompahgre,) the Montrose
Health Partnership and the Immigrant Integration Initiative. We help them with
our presence and input at their meetings, through reports to our membership and
through letter writing to our elected officials.
How
we appear to current and future members is a reflection of the work we do. We
plan to conduct a survey of three groups: our membership, attendees at our
upcoming EXPO on April 7 and the community at large to discover which issues
are important to them and how, as a networking organization, we can help. If
you do not receive a survey and wish to participate, please call your
Secretary, Bonnie Poole, at 240-3493 and she will mail or email a copy to you.
Your input is most important.
During
our Board of Directors’ Retreat, an interesting question arose: how inclusive
can we be and not jeopardize our mission and goals as an organization? Where IS
the line between educating yourself and upholding principles? More and more,
our membership will help to define the expression of our principles, our
actions, and our affiliations. Without input from YOU, the clear presence and
power of our intention can become muddled and lost. The Board of Directors
works at the discretion of the membership. We require your input. Even if you don’t have much time to
volunteer, drop us a line or give us a call with your ideas.
The
Board has decided to try to host a symposium in 2008. We are investigating the
possibility of bringing Al Gore to the western slope to speak about planetary
changes which affect us all. This would be a huge endeavor and we would try to
collaborate with as many other organizations as we need to make it happen. If
you have any ideas or would like to volunteer for this project, contact
Elizabeth Roscoe at 249-0397.
Over
the next several months, this Connections newsletter will get a
facelift! There will be fewer feature articles and more reporting. We will keep
you informed about our networking and the work of other organizations and
businesses which support our mission of creating healthy communities. Connections
has been our historic media outreach tool to the community. In the future, you
will be hearing more about us on radio, and in local newspapers as we learn to
use the media to benefit our networking activities.
The biggest limitation
to every nonprofit organization is volunteer time. As a 100% volunteer
organization, it is amazing that the Connections is published each month
and the EXPO is happening for the 13th year in a row! If you have even 10 minutes each month to
donate, we could use your help. A heart-felt thanks to those undaunted few who
have kept the Whole Life Network alive through tough times. Our future looks energetic
and bright especially when we hear from YOU!
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The Whole Life Network is in Action!
Whole Life Network Release
Conservation in a Time
of Growth
If we have your active
email address, then you recently received a letter that we supported which was
sent to the Montrose County Land Use Department. Efforts are underway to create
master plans for the City and County of Montrose. These plans need to respect
the rights of land owners, preserve fresh water and wildlife corridors, retain
prime agricultural property, and meet the needs of current and new residents in
terms of housing, transportation, and services. It’s a complicated picture that needs the input of our residents.
If you would like to be kept informed, or you would like to help shape the
policies which would affect us all, send your email address to
mabonpo@montrose.net and you’ll receive updates.
Immigrant Integration
Encouraging positive
encounters between individuals requires healthy systems in the community which
inform both the newcomer and the established residents. New-comers who are
never welcomed or never encouraged to integrate into the society become disenfranchised.
Naturally, resentments can arise from feelings of inequity and discrimination.
Tensions can build between groups and social harmony can collapse into
inter-ethnic conflicts.
Our community is made up
of social, economic, and political entities which respond to the actions of
countless, diverse people. Even within ethnic groups, each individual has his
unique biases, priorities, skills and problems. Healthy integration builds bridges amongst diverse groups so
that all people within a community can feel respected, safe and at home.
Achieving greater social
inclusion and equality requires many policy “solutions.” Access to education,
language classes, employment, transportation, and health care provides the
foundation of safety for the newcomer. When newcomers have open access to these
necessities, individuals are free to fully develop their potential.
The benefits achieved by
having newcomers contribute productively to our community cannot be ignored. As
societies are dynamic and changing, policies to manage the issues created by
diversity need to be in place. Services
must address the needs of newcomers and quickly educate them about their
rights, as well as their responsibilities,
in their new home.
Members of the Whole
Life Network are actively involved in this community initiative to address
issues of immigrant integration. The
first Community Forum for public input is May 12th in Olathe, with
forums in Montrose and Delta in June.
If you are interested in this vital community effort, email elizabethroscoe@montrose.net
and information will be provided to you.
FORU Friends of the
River Uncompahgre
The Uncompahgre River is
a valuable natural asset to our community which is being heavily impacted by
the rapid pace of growth. The river provides our community with beauty,
recreation, and fresh water and habitat for wildlife. A group of people
concerned about the preservation and restoration of the river corridor came
together in 2006 to work with Montrose, Ouray and Delta Co. government agencies
and many other partners to enact guidelines, policies and plans for the future
vitality of the river. The FORU
newsletter, The River Keeper, is available online. Go to www.foruncompahgre.org to learn more.
Health Care for All
Colorado
Governor Bill Ritter has
formed a Blue Ribbon Commission to study the problem of health care in
Colorado. More than 700,000 Coloradans don’t have health insurance including
180,000 children. The Commission’s Chairperson, Bill Lindsay said,” We don’t
just want to study the problem, we want to get some work done.”
The Single Payer System
is believed to be the most effective and efficient means to establish universal
health care. Access, financing,
providers, and choice are important issues which must be addressed.
A presentation given by
Uncompahgre Health Care For All Colorado at the WLN EXPO April 7th
will address this very important subject.
Your elected officials will rely on your good judgment before enacting
legislation. This legislation will
affect us all. Come and learn more. Be an effective participant in our
democratic process. Contact: Dr. Richard Gingery 252-5004 or go online at www.hcah.montrosehealth.org.
The Montrose Health
Partnership
The Montrose Health
Partnership was formed in 2005 as a collaboration of representatives from
health care agencies, schools, law enforcement, government, non-profits,
private practitioners and interested individuals to provide an easily accessed
network of services in the Montrose area.
The collaboration is working to increase access to services, identify
existing resources for members and the public, to create new resources when
necessary, and to help move people to the resources they need promptly and
effectively. The mission statement of
the MHP is ‘to create and sustain a proactive process maximizing the health and
well-being of our community’. The MHP
has been working with facilitators from the Colorado Collaborative Partnership
of CSU for the past 16 months and had its first retreat in February. Three current MHP projects are Immigrant
Integration, a committee working on closing the gaps in services and another
looking at creating an information and referral service.
Current WLN Board
members Roland Holzwarth, Elizabeth
Roscoe and Larry Lemser, past Board members Sue Lemser and Meralee Shank have
been founding members of the Partnership, along with Cynthia Harwood, a long
time WLN member. If you are interested
in finding out about more projects in which members of the Partnership are
involved and joining with others interested in creative visioning and design of
innovative health initiatives you can call 249-0397 to reach Roland Holzwarth,
WLN Board President or Elizabeth Roscoe, Board Member.
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The L.I.F.E. System
Whole Life Network Release
There is a river of
energy that connects every cell, every organ, every thought, and every emotion
in the human body. The flow (or blockage) of this energy reflects a system of
communication. The L.I.F.E. biofeedback
system communicates on a cellular level, as it identifies over 7,000 known
stressors to the body, caused by food, toxins, genetics, lifestyle or
environment. The system views illness
as an energetic disturbance, as each and every cell has its own energetic
pattern or signature. Healthy cells
have a different energy pattern than unhealthy cells. The L.I.F.E. system identifies subtle, “reactive” stress
potentials, and then feeds-back the correcting impulse. In other words, it detects vibration
frequencies that are not vibrating at their highest potential and feeds-back a
correcting impulse so the body can “re-set” itself. As the body is provided true, healthy energy patterns,
dysfunctional patterns are cancelled out; energy blockages are removed, facilitating
a natural healing process.
All aspects of our being
have a positive, energetic “wellness signature”. The L.I.F.E. system has the unique ability to neutralize
conditions before they manifest physically, which makes it a wonderful
pill-free, non-invasive health care system.
Gradual repetitive input, with the right frequencies, is subtle yet
powerful, creating a positive change in the body and mind. Results are long lasting and get better over
time. How good do you want to feel?
You can learn more and
experience the L.I.F.E. system at the Whole Life Expo on April 7th
at the Montrose Pavilion. Just look for Jeanne Russell, new Business Member of
The Whole Life Network, or call Jeanne directly at 970 497-0488.
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Peaceful Contributions for the Soul
by Kathy Gates
Plenty
of new growth is coming forth, Divine Nature and all It's Beauty. It's essence
is always present, when we are aware of It.
Nature
thinks perfection; it keeps giving and giving and giving of itself.
In
nature we can see the profound gifts it gives to life. The sun continues to shine
and light our days, the air continues to give us our breath of life, the earth
continues to provide our food, our clothing, our healing herbs and plants, and
a place for us to live, and the water continue to come in its many forms, snow,
rain, mist upon the earth to cleanse us to hydrate us. We are nourished through
this perfection every day. Do we take the time we need to give gratitude for
all Divine Nature provides? It never
doubts or questions or has any fear of giving to us whatsoever, each day is
perfect within itself.
Thinking
perfection is a way of being. We can reap the reward of harmony and joy by
embracing all of the good that surrounds us.
Start
by making a list of all that is good about you. Make a list of all your talents
and skills, things that you can share with ease. Embrace yourself first, thank
yourself for all the goodness you posses. Then continue to expand that goodness
into the world around you. It is a
natural way of life to fill every aspect of life with good.
By
keeping aware of your personal connection with Divine Nature and It's Beauty,
we can all remember our magnificent self. By keeping a feeling of perfection
all around you, not allowing any discouraging thoughts about self to come up.
Keep joy at the core of self. In what way can each of us serve life with our
own unique gifts and talents to bring about peace to our communities? Like
Sister Theresa the (the little flower) she always said its the little things
that make the difference. We don't have to do something big, we can do little
things from our heart.
Sweep
out the dust and stuff from the past and live wholly in the now, in harmony
with the All Good of life. Live in that space today, here and now. It depends
on each of us to be the wholeness of life.
We are heaven on earth, I think that is what the new "Golden
Age" is. A higher consciousness is what it will take to bring complete
wholeness to our world.
Walk
in nature and just listen to the sounds of life all around you. Watch the
little birds as they fly from tree to tree singing in harmony, joyfully from
tree to tree in the light. With every tree there is a new opportunity, a new
vantage point, a new freedom. We can all live this way too. Being free to be
who we are, blessing everything on our path along the way with Love, and
letting go and letting everyone else be who he or she is too. Filling all of life with our heart light,
expanding the Divine Nature within us outward to our families, friends,
community, state, country and world. We all have equal opportunity to be a part
of, not separated from Life. Peace and Blessings Always.
Coming
in April at Women's Spirit Retreat 3 day weekend retreat Apr-27th-29th
Visit our website for a
registration form at www.womensspiritretreats.com or email wsretreat@aol.com or
you can call 970-856-7665 for information. Topic Angels
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Sweet Dreams
© Anne Calzada Herbalist
Wake
up sleepyhead! Or have you been counting sheep all night and hoping for some
solid Z's? Sleepless nights have many contributing factors such as stress,
worry, too much caffeine or alcohol, sleep apnea, heartburn, restless leg
syndrome, hormonal fluctuations and even pharmaceutical drugs. The average
person requires the standard 8 hours to function well, but others do fine on 6.
Insomnia
is basically from one of two sources. It is either having trouble getting to
sleep or being able to maintain in dreamland once you've arrived there. It is
reported that as many as 1 in 10 people in this country have chronic insomnia.
Prescription drugs such as Ambien and Lunesta are not without side effects and
may cause psychological or physical dependence. Pharmaceuticals do not
"cure" the cause of insomnia, however they have been known to
interrupt REM sleep, cause dream disruption, and induce nightmares. Insomnia can
affect your health in terms of chronic fatigue, mental fatigue, irritability
and moodiness. In Oriental medicine, insomnia is said to be related to the
heart, however other organs may be involved, such as the liver, gallbladder or
kidneys.
Your
body repairs and rejuvenates itself at night while you sleep. The immune system
enhances itself while you sleep. Organs can rest and detoxify. The subconscious
can rest and clear psychic debris and dreams are part of doing that. Making
sure that you are getting enough calcium and magnesium in your diet is vital.
It is very important to get your beauty sleep!
Sleep
disorders have been associated with an imbalance of serotonin and melatonin.
If
there is even the tiniest bit of light in the room it can disrupt your
circadian rhythm and your pineal gland's production of melatonin and serotonin
This includes alarm clocks and nightlights. Making sure it is dark when you
sleep is as important as making sure that you get adequate sunlight in the
daytime. The pineal and pituitary glands depend on the natural flow of sunlight
and darkness to produce properly. They also depend on adequate nutrition and
the metabolic catalyst for serotonin and melatonin production is L-tryptophan.
Tryptophan is an amino acid and a valuable precursor to these biochemicals and
their pathways. Monoamine precursor therapy has been explored in
supplementation of serotonin, melatonin and 5-HTP. Obtaining tryptophan from
natural food sources is a better choice for the body however, as it can
recognize food as bio-available and besides it is a much safer choice. Some
foods that contain tryptophan are turkey, chicken, fish, dairy, quinoa,
spinach, bananas, pumpkin seeds, kelp, spirulina and dark chocolate to name
just a few.
Bathing
in essential oils such as lavender or rosemary will help to relax your tension
away. Rescue remedy, a Bach flower essence will help to soothe your mind and
emotions after a busy day. Remembering to say your prayers and count your
blessings before you go to sleep and to think beautiful positive thoughts will
help you to have a peaceful nights sleep!
Herbs
offer support from the natural world. Whether you take tea, tincture or
capsules, it is best to take them 30 to 45 minutes before retiring for the
evening.
Chamomile
(Matricaria recutita) is a calming nervine and antispasmodic A classic common
remedy for soothing stress away that is rich in calcium and magnesium.
Skullcap
(Scutellaria lateriflora) Containing sedative properties, it helps to reduce
nervous tension and irritability.
Catnip
(Nepeta cataria) is antispasmodic and calming. It is soothing, especially
helpful for restless children.
Hops
(Humulus lupulus) are famous for making good beer. It is a sedative, tension
reducer and promoter of restful sleep.
Passionflower
(Passiflora incarnta) Contains antispasmodic properties and has been used to
calm emotional upset and used to reduce insomnia.
Valarian
(Valariana officinalis) is a nervine and sedative that calms anxiety and
tension. It promotes sleep a restful evening of sleep.
Sweet
Dreams Tea
1 part chamomile
1 part lemon balm
½ part catnip
Blend together and use 1 tsp. per cup of water.
Dreamtime
Pillow
1 part lavender
1 part sage
½ part hops optional
Blend together. Sew together a 4"x 4" cloth with 2 sides and fill
with your herb blend. Insert in your pillowcase or put it under your pillow for
soothing sleep.
Anne Calzada is a Certified Herbalist and founder of
Healing Heart Herbs. For consultations please call 626-5663 or email her at
annecalzada@aol.com.
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Even Our Most Undesirable Habits Are Disguised Gifts
Whole Life Network Release
March 12, 2007
To Whom It May Concern:
We are on the Board of
the Whole Life Network, a non-profit organization serving the Western Slope
since 1988. The specific objectives of the WLN are to advocate for holistic
living in communities which preserve the health of the environments in which they
live, and to network individuals, groups and organizations to provide
opportunities for education and sharing of ideas to enhance health and
well-being.
There is an interest
brewing in our communities to host a Western Slope Symposium in 2008 to address
climate change and how that reality affects decisions about growth and both
wise and economical use of water and energy resources.
The Symposium could include a one-day schedule of two forums, one to address
climate change, growth and water use, and the second to address climate change,
growth and renewable energy.The forums would be scheduled in conjunction with a
key note presentation by Al Gore, of the Oscar winning documentary 'An
Inconvenient Truth', to discuss how climate change influences the decisions
communities must make regarding growth, water conservation and energy use.
Community round table discussions could follow the forums at which time the
public would discuss their goals for the region.
The political attitude
about global climate change is now in flux with even the current White House
Administration reluctantly admitting that climate change is a fact.
More and more states,
including Colorado, have mandated that a certain percentage of energy come from
renewable sources. Communities on the Western Slope are growing at ever
increasing rates, with Montrose being in the top 20 fastest growing
municipalities in the country. We have the opportunity to respond to a
global imperative to address how we design and build our communities and
provide the necessary water and energy to sustain them. We, as a people, cannot
afford to let this opportunity go by to inform ourselves and others about the
most resource efficient and economical ways to proceed into our future as we
all grow together.
The Whole Life Network
has hosted many symposiums over the years. We are now emphasizing our
networking objective as never before. A symposium of the scope described above
can only be accomplished with a broad based collaboration of individuals,
organizations and local governments from across the entire Western Slope. My
question to you is, Are you and/or your organization ready to sponsor and
work toward this educational effort to inform ourselves, the general public,
and local governments about how to make wise growth decisions about water
conservation and sustainable energy use at this time of unprecedented climate
change? If your answer is yes, please contact us by phone or e-mail before
April 9th. We would like to add your name to a letter to Al Gore
requesting his support for and participation in this event.
Thank you for your time
and consideration of this request,
Roland Holzwarth
WLN Board President
Elizabeth Roscoe
WLN Board
Contact: phone:
970-249-0397
e-mail:
elizabethroscoe@montrose.net
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Procrastination—Bane or Blessing?
by Jerry Overton
Reprinted from November 2004 Issue
"Procrastination
is fun. Just wait and see."—Unknown
"Anybody
can do any amount of work, so long as it isn't the work he is supposed to be
doing."—Robert Benchley
"Procrastination
is the thief of time."—Edward Young, Night Thoughts
"We
have left undone those things which we ought to have done; and we have done
those things which we ought not to have done."—The Book of Common Prayer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Procrastination—is
it a bane or a blessing? As you can tell from the quotes above, there is a
difference of opinion, at least among those quoted!
As
one who has done his share of it, here's my take on it.
There
was a time when I would procrastinate badly and then feel even more badly about
it. I'd beat myself up for days, and feel guilty, for putting off what I
thought I should be doing.
Then
one day it hit me. I didn't put off those things that I enjoyed doing. I got
those done right away. In fact, I could hardly wait to do them! It was only
those things that I did not enjoy doing that I procrastinated about. It
was those things that I thought I "ought" to do or was told that I
"should" do that I procrastinated about. As I began to look more
closely, many of my "oughts" and "shoulds" were not even of
my own choosing—I had let somebody else choose them for me.
No
wonder I procrastinated! It was as if everything within me was screaming out to
me saying, "Wake up! Don't you see what is going on here? Somebody
else is choosing your life for you! Resist with all your might, or they'll take
over completely!"
And
that's when my procrastination went from being the bane of my existence, and
the source of much self-abuse, to becoming one of my best friends! And you ask,
how so?
It
goes something like this. Whenever I feel myself procrastinating, I take it as
an “early warning signal” to pay attention to what I'm doing. It's my wake-up
call to ask myself some important questions: Is the object of my
procrastination of my own choosing? Do I want to do it?
If
the answer is "No" to these two questions, then I ask myself another
question. Will it benefit me to do it—or will there be negative consequences if
I don't? If there is no benefit to doing it, and no negative consequences if I
don't, then I can easily decide it's not something I want to do, so I
don't—thereby eliminating my procrastination (as well as all the self-abuse
that was sure to follow).
If
there are benefits, or if there are negative consequences to not doing it (like
with my taxes), I either choose to do it (which now I can, because I see the
motivation), or I get somebody else to do it who likes to do it (and believe it
or not, there are actually people out there who love to do those things that
you don't—even taxes!).
Being
willing to see procrastination as my friend (the one willing to keep resisting
and shouting until I wake up to my actions), I can now live much more of my
life in choice. As a result, I wind up doing much more of what I truly love,
and I find that procrastination is no longer a problem. I either do the thing
about which I've been procrastinating (because now I see the motivation and can
choose to do it or have it done), or I let it go.
I
invite you to see procrastination as your friend, too. Honor its willingness to
resist. Let it wake you up to all the "oughts" and
"shoulds" in your life. Let it direct you to living more of your life
in choice as you eliminate all those things that don't fit who you are. And let
it lead you to discovering and living the life you truly love! For you deserve
nothing less.
Godspeed!
Copyright
2004
Dr. Jerry D. Overton
All Rights Reserved
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