Dust!

When I saw this image on someone’s Facebook page, I knew there was a blog coming….

In the several decades I have been involved in what used to be called Alternative Medicine, but is now most often considered Functional Medicine, I would marvel at how people approached something new. One acupuncture treatment; does not work. One herbal remedy; does not work. One “you-name-it” and the mind shuts down like a steel trap deciding something does not work.

My yoga instructor said a guy came to class once and said yoga does not work for him.

People try meditation and say that.

It all sounds a lot like dusting once and when the dust comes back deciding not to fall for dusting again.

Dr. Lissa Rankin said when she was researching her book, Mind Over Medicine, she stumbled across the Spontaneous Remission Project, put together by the Institute of Noetic Sciences. They collected over 3,500 case studies published in medical literature about people who experienced spontaneous remissions from seemingly “incurable diseases.” (See 9 Key Factors Affecting Radical Remission from Cancer)

Recently a client recommended Radical Remission: Surviving Cancer Against All Odds, by Kelly Turner, PhD. The book is a New York Times bestseller.

So what were the 9 key factors that these patients with radical remissions employed?

  • Radically changing your diet.
  • Taking control of your health.
  • Following your intuition.
  • Using herbs and supplements.
  • Releasing suppressed emotions.
  • Increasing positive emotions.
  • Embracing social support.
  • Deepening your spiritual connection.
  • Having strong reasons for living.
  • My client has been able to identify the area/s she needs to strengthen and has made a commitment to doing that. My mind went automatically to how if these nine key factors can allow someone to return to health from a diagnosis of cancer, how much might our lives be enhanced by them.

    I will keep dusting. I hope you will too. Meanwhile, you may enjoy my most recent poem, “Catching my Reflection.”

    Catching my Reflection

    Blowing my nose with an expensive hand-painted silk scarf
    it is clear now my body can be used as a weapon against itself
    The cookies eaten as my lunch and
    the wine gulped down to dull the inner pain
    Razor blades I did not use for shaving that caused
    scars I wore as membership in a tragic club

    Feeding the pages of my journal into the shredder
    systematically three sheets at a time
    Decades of broken dreams and promises
    chewed into tiny bits
    Now lining the bottom of the bird cage
    finally good for something

    The doorbell rings “Some Enchanted Evening”
    perhaps a friend, a stranger, or some gift undelivered
    I feel no obligation to answer
    no fear that something wonderful could be missed
    Catching my reflection in the puddle
    lips turned up in a quiet smile

    Debra Basham 10-21-2018

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