Guest post: Doing good for the benefit of who?

Doing good for others is good for your health, writes John Clague of Oregon. Maybe not what we first think of when doing a kind deed, but I suspect, deep down, that most of us know this to be true because we just, well, feel better when we have given something of our selves to someone other than ourselves. We can all feel blessed!

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By John D. Clague, Christian Science Committee on Publication for Oregon

I’m sure there are many examples of people selflessly helping others. What comes to mind for you? Perhaps someone who is well known, like Mother Teresa.

Or perhaps there is someone you personally know who is a selfless giver, not expecting anything in return.

I think immediately of incidents like:

Hundreds of boat owners and ferry pilots converging on the Manhattan shoreline to evacuate stranded New Yorkers after the World Trade Center towers collapsed.

People in my community working at food banks and soup kitchens for the homeless.

Victor Frankl helping fellow prisoners of war cope through simple acts of sharing and encouragement

These are people engaging in helping acts with no expectation of anything in return.

Where does this desire to help others come from? Not only is history full of people helping people, but the stories of different cultures are full of these examples as a way of conveying a virtue or a moral, like Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan. Why do we do it if there’s no expectation of reciprocal acts of kindness or money?

In examining my own impulses along this line I can’t find a clear answer. As a Christian, The Golden Rule could be a motivator out of obedience. And for those of other faith traditions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism,Taoism, Zoroastrianism, and Judaism there are similar guiding principles. But is this really what motivates adherents of any tradition to act for the benefit or others?

New Year’s resolution: to be happy, or blessed?

Sunset, Darwin Harbour, by yours truly

Is there a difference? Absolutely.

Often, happiness is dependent on outward conditions… as in, I will be happy when, or, if, or, because something happens or happened in the past or future. When I get a higher paying job, when I get that new Mercedes Benz coupe,  when I get married – or divorced, when I retire, when I have children, when my children are old enough to fend for themselves… back then I was happier because I had/didn’t have responsibilities…

Guess what! None of us live in the past or the future. This is the reason that happiness is such an elusive thing. It tries to be conditional upon something that is not being experienced when we are; which is right now, at this present moment of eternity.

Blessedness, unlike happiness, is not dependent on anything outside us. Not even time. It’s so much bigger.  It’s much deeper. It’s foundational. It exists at the core of our being. We may even discover that it is the core of our being. We cannot add to it, lose it, and nothing outside us can influence it. In the words of Ecclesiastes 3:13-14: “it is the gift of God. I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it.” Blessedness, the gift of God, is built into the core of our being. It is our substance. It’s always there.

You are already blessed! You are not waiting for it.

But what is it?

Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is about being blessed. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God … blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy … blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled …” and so on – it’s all in Matthew 5. Purity, mercy, righteousness – things like this are not really things at all. They are indestructible qualities, or blessed ideas that exist right where you are.  As we exercise these qualities, we discover how substantial they are. We find they are our substance. By doing, living, being the things that give us peace, exercising purity, mercy, righteousness etc –  we draw on this bottomless gift of God called blessedness, and we experience “the fruit of the Spirit” – lasting happiness.

Perhaps Gandhi was thinking on these lines when he said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Gandhi was big on making the world a better place.

Making the world a better place.  Now, that’s a decent New Year’s resolution, which we are fully equipped for because we are blessed.

Guest post: Bringing Spirituality to Medicine

Today’s post comes from Bob Clark, of Florida. “Attending to one’s spirituality” is being seen as a positive aspect of health care, by health professionals and patients, with benefits to the health system, and more importantly, those in its care. Thanks Bob. 

The Wall Street Journal’s Health Blog reported the other day that,

“In recent years, a growing body of research investigating the relationship between religion, spirituality and health has led to a number of evidence-based guidelines for spiritual care and tools to help hospitals provide it…”

One of these tools is described as a “spiritual assessment” which hospital chaplains and doctors can work together to produce and use. It assesses the patient’s spiritual history in terms of religious background/views, receptivity to prayer, etc. That helps the doctors and chaplains to work together to meet patients’ spiritual as well as physical needs.

American Family Physician reports that 94 percent of patients admitted to hospitals believe that spiritual health is as important as physical health and 77 percent believe that physicians should consider their patients’ spiritual needs as part of their medical care. But 80 percent of those same patients reported that physicians never or rarely discuss spiritual or religious issues with them.

So there’s still a lot of work to do before the average hospital patient is offered a spiritual assessment as part of their care package. Still the progress in that direction is good news and seems to me to prompt an interesting question: What if more “spiritual assessment” were done before the need for hospital care?

Laura Landro, author of the WSJ blog mentioned above, tells us that,“Experts say attending to one’s spirituality—be it with yoga, prayer, meditation, music or putting others first—may help turn spiritual struggle into an opportunity for growth.”

Think of the reduced cost of health care for us all if “spiritual assessments” or “attending to one’s spirituality” became a regular routine prior to the need for expensive medical care. This has potential to be a powerful addition to preventive health care efforts and a significant way to reduce the cost of government sponsored health care.

You will find more of Robert’s blog posts here.

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There’s always going to be an answer.

with thanks to Adam Zdebel of Flickr

Not so long ago I heard a story about a kind of snake that hunts small birds not by chasing and pouncing on them, but by looking them in the eye in such a way that the bird becomes transfixed – we might say, mesmerized, by the snake’s gaze. Holding the bird’s gaze the snake simply comes up to the bird without alarming it – and has its dinner. At any point the bird could have opened its wings and taken flight to safety. But it remained taken in by the snake’s intent gaze, seemingly unable to think for itself.

Sometimes it’s the thing we fear most that “comes upon us.” Fear seems to spur us into action, or paralyse us into inaction. Sometimes action is rash and inappropriate; sometimes inaction can prove disastrous.

Fear is not a great guide to living well.

Right now, there are reports in the media talking up the dangerous effects of climate change on health. Increasing numbers of injuries, diseases, deaths, post traumatic stress, are predicted, and statistics are given to support these predictions. A recent example from our news is here.

Now, I started this with the snake and bird story for a good reason. The bird would be pretty dumb to pretend the snake was not there. Closing its eyes wouldn’t make the snake go away either! The bird had a solution to its problem built in all the time. Fear and fascination with the snake paralysed it into inaction. Its freedom from danger was with it all the time – all it had to do was be itself!

Even if we accept climate change, it does not spell the end of the world. Turning a blind eye to the challenges it presents is not intelligent, but those challenges need not make us fearful. There is always a solution at hand.

I take great comfort and strength from something written a few years back… just a few. In the 8^th century BC, the prophet Isaiah wrote: “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” (Isaiah 41:10)

How many times since then has the world as mankind knew it been coming to an end? You know what? You and I … we’re still here!

Guest post: Placebos, Coffee Addiction and a Healing of Multiple Sclerosis

Today’s guest post comes from Kay Stroud, a colleague and friend from Queensland, Australia. Kay shares some interesting research that challenges what many believe, and a beautiful healing by spiritual means alone. Thanks Kay

The Courier-Mail article “Coffee hit all in the mind” caught my attention on the weekend. Apparently a scientific study conducted in Great Britain suggests that the stimulating effect of coffee might be all in the mind. Some volunteers who were already coffee drinkers, in the study were given caffeinated coffee and told it was decaffeinated; others were given decaffeinated coffee and told it contained caffeine. Tests were then taken to measure mental performance, reaction times and mood, and those who wrongly thought they had caffeinated coffee performed best on reaction times and mood. Seems that our expectations affect the outcomes – an example of the placebo effect.

This is just one of many recent research studies by scientists and medical practitioners into the mental nature of health. Anne Harrington’s 2008 book, “The Cure Within” collates a series of such examples that occurred throughout the history of mind-body medicine including chapters on the Power of Suggestion, the Power of Positive Thinking and Eastern influences. Professor and chair of the History of Science Department at Harvard University, Harrington provides a wealth of thought-provoking stories and accounts of inexplicable healings, including references to respected scientific research studies. For instance, one chapter discusses the healings that have happened at Lourdes over the past 150 years, with scientists of the time attributing the healings simply to the power of the mind to heal the body.

A book that was at the forefront of this evolution in our understanding of the mind/body connection, explains that consistent health is provable today, not through changing the beliefs of the human mind, but by our understanding of the divine Mind and our relationship to it. Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, states: “The effect of this Science is to stir the human mind to a change of base, on which it may yield to the harmony of the divine Mind.” (p.219:11)

Jane Starrett experienced this change of base when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis 25 years ago. She experienced not remission, but full healing when she applied this Science, now playing golf, volleyball and hockey. Listen to her account below.

Is this one of those ‘one-off’ inexplicable healings? I think that she’s sure it’s not. I believe that her new understanding of the divine Mind and her reflection of it formed her anew, and it can do so for you and me too.

You can find more of Kay’s posts here. 

Guest Post: BOOMERS – WHAT’S AROUND THE CORNER?

Today’ guest post comes from Ken Girard, of Massachusetts. He is one of the keenest cyclists I know! While he uses statistics from the US economy, the substance of what he is saying relates to what is going on in many parts of the world today. Thanks for this food for thought, Ken.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011 at 9:27AM

Approximately one-fourth of the country’s population are baby-boomers. That’s right—one-fourth.  There are 76,000,000 of us (yes, I’m one, and it’s likely you are too). That’s an enormous market.

Where are they headed?  Perhaps the larger curiosity is, where is their money headed?

According to The Washington Post (“AGING AMERICA: Baby boomers expected to spend tens of billions in pursuit of youthfulness”), there are immense financial gains to be made by an industry that is focused on helping boomers live up to the image of a forever-youthfulness that we were raised on.  We currently spend $80 billion annually but by 2015 that number will soar to $114 billion.

What’s the money going for?  Various hormone and vitamin therapies, cosmetic surgeries, and a variety of skin care creams. None of these procedures are at Walmart price tags.  And very few have any lasting or discernible positive effects.

As I’ve thought about the interest of my fellow-boomers in these so-called youth-enhancing products and procedures, I’ve found myself leaving the pack.  I’m a lot more rebellious when it comes to what happens to me due to the passing of years.

I’m not convinced that we are inevitably in a state of deterioration in which ill-health brings an ever-tightening noose on all of our activities.

Also, is the fear of this projected phenomenon motivating us to such a degree that we focus on the superficial instead of something much deeper about ourselves and about life itself?

I’ve often thought about the Israelite biblical figure Caleb who at 85 years of age tells Joshua that he is as fit to go out and return from battle as when he was 40.  Quite a statement.  But is it just an allegorical exaggeration?

Not in my experience.  About twelve years ago, Caleb’s assertion provided a hint of a different vantage point about life and aging.  It all hinged on whether I thought of myself and others as fundamentally spiritual.

As my thought shifted accordingly I saw a direct correlation in doing so. My life increased in vigor, usefulness, and health.  Even though I led a fairly sedentary lifestyle as a composer and pianist, I took up cycling.  Over 50,000 miles later I’m still going strong.

Where does all of this leave us?

Mario Garrett, Ph.D, a professor of gerontology at San Diego State University, stated in his July 26th Sign On San Diego article “Study links aging with increase in positive thoughts”:

Numerous studies continue to show that living longer relates to this ability to see things in a positive light. Research found that older individuals with more positive self-perceptions of aging — measured up to 23 years earlier — lived 7.5 years longer than those with less positive self-perceptions. This advantage remained after accounting for differences in age, gender, socioeconomic status, loneliness, and functional health.

Positive perceptions.  A change of thought.  A more spiritual viewpoint.

That’s the kind of low-cost and effective revolution that boomers—or anyone else—might find looks really attractive in the mirror.

You’ll find Ken’s blog here.

Guest post: Singing Prescribed for Your Health and Happiness

This post comes from Carey Arber, a colleague in New South Wales, Australia. Learning to celebrate life fully by finding and expressing our spiritual qualities – like joy, love, empathy – is gaining voice in health care. Seems a healthier alternative to prescription medications to me. 

Posted on November 16, 2011

“I’d like to see you take up singing”, said the doctor to the patient suffering from Parkinson’s disease, as he signed off the prescription saying just that.

“I encourage you to take the time to be kind to others, and by writing a gratitude list each morning”, said the doctor to the patient suffering from a condition of irritation, as she signed off the prescription saying just that.

“I’d like to see you letting your friends and family love you”, said the doctor to the patient suffering…

Okay, I think you get my drift from these little analogies. I wonder how many GP’s or specialists dealing with physical ailments write such prescriptions for their patients? ~ I’d really love to know (comments below).

The first analogy is pretty close to fact… see a short video report on BBC News, “Singing in a choir brings both health and happiness.”   Reports of reduction in anxiety and depression, lung disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and cancer.  Patients’ physical and mental health is improving from this method of expression.

Professor Grenville Hancox of Canterbury Christ Church University says, “We want to be able to get singing prescribed… If a GP realises their patient could benefit… it’s a very easy way of starting to get into a cycle of improvement.”

I often sing when I’m feeling unwell, and have experienced healing. Of course, the words play an important part, giving me hope and inspiration. Pamela Martin, a former medical nurse, tells how she now sings!  spirituality.com

The idea of singing being medicine may not be a new idea to you, but can you see a time when doctors will write prescriptions telling patients to use their innate spiritual qualities ~ like singing for joy to get better?

I’m reminded of the wonderful work of the ‘Choir of Hope and Inspiration’ in Australia (formed as Choir of Hard Knocks)…. the choir that reaches out to homeless and disadvantaged, “offering another chance to those who believed they had used up all their chances in life.” Enjoy their video…

This article is also published on newsmaker.com.au

More of Carey’s posts can be found here.

Guest post: Health care workers use alternatives for their health

This guest post is from Tony Lobl’s blog called The Connection. In this post he brings our attention to the eyebrow raising fact (well, mine went up!) that “doctors, nurses and their assistants, health technicians, and healthcare administrators were actually more likely than the general public to use any number of wide-ranging alternative medicine options, including massage, yoga, acupuncture, Pilates or herbal medicines.”  I had to smile when reading the link at the end of Tony’s posting to “The Lords and the British tradition of choice”. 

by loblt

A new study shows workers in the health care industry opt for complementary and alternative medicines more than the public.

The study appears in this month’s Health Services Research journal, called Personal Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) by U.S. Health Care Workers.  It found three out of four American health care workers use complementary or alternative approaches to meet their own health needs.

Alan Mozes, reporting on the study in US News and Report Weekly, writes: “What’s more, doctors, nurses and their assistants, health technicians, and healthcare administrators were actually more likely than the general public to use any number of wide-ranging alternative medicine options, including massage, yoga, acupuncture, Pilates or herbal medicines.”

The article quotes study co-author Lori Knutson, executive director of the Penny George Institute for Health and Healing with the Allina Health System in Minneapolis.  She says: “Clearly this means that even our health-care workers are recognizing the need for alternative options in the search for ways to improve our health and lives.”

For a Connection Commentary on health care choice, see The Lords and the British tradition of choice in healthcare.

Some things change… some don’t

thanks to susanvg of Flickr

The best practice of medicine, based on the most careful observations and rigorous testing has always been highly respected. Even in 1600… if you happened to be around at that time. If you are anything like me, you would not want to be under the care of even the most honourable physician from 1600. Today, we would regard many of even the best intentioned health practices from 1600 with deep distrust!

Fast forward to 1900. Would you be happy to be admitted to a hospital in that year, knowing what you know now? What about 50 years back? 20 years back? How about 10? Just asking.

Now, please don’t take this the wrong way. The best medical practitioners through the centuries have by and large done wonderful things for many. Many are truly selfless and heroic in their efforts to alleviate suffering, and deserve the greatest respect. Some of my close friends would not be with me today had it not been for the medical attention they received.

Medical practitioners are the first to admit that they do not have 100% success rates, and that they are still seeking answers to some things – otherwise there would be no medical research going on. Not only are medical practices changing as new evidence comes to light through research, there is a growing awareness that what works for one person may not be effective for another. This is but one of the reasons for why there are so many different medications for the same symptoms. People are not simply machines that all respond the same way to any given treatment or procedure.

Let’s not get started on how so many things my grandparents swore were good for us later researchers swore were bad for us, and have since changed their minds about several times since. Think eggs, milk, salt, peanuts, coffee, wine… the list goes on!

Thing is, whenever we look at theories concerning healthcare from a “traditional” standpoint we are on constantly shifting ground. It all seems a bit dicey.

Guest post: Senior Moments

Today’s post comes from Bob Clark of Florida, USA. It deals with an confronting issue for individuals and society. Thank you for the inspiring message, Bob.

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Robert B. Clark| 2 Comments

I live in an area with a lot of wonderful older people, “seniors” as they’re often called. I love seeing seniors walking on the beach, fishing off the piers, driving convertibles, playing golf and generally enjoying life in their later years. These are the true “senior moments”.

So it bothers me deeply when I read about Alzheimer’s disease threatening to demote seniors from their well-earned place and status to a lower level where their “senior-hood” can become a curse rather than a blessing.

Here are some startling statistics from American Family Physician, “The financial and social costs of Alzheimer’s disease are staggering. In the United States, the disease accounts for about $100 billion per year in medical and custodial expenses, with the average patient requiring an expenditure of about $27,000 per year for medical and nursing care. In addition, 80 percent of caregivers report stress, and about 50 percent report depression.”

Is there an alternative to the unjust sentence this disease imposes on our seniors and their families? Is there a way to control or even avoid its collateral costs and damage? Yes. Fortunately for all of us, there is.

As health care reform lumbers forward and costs spiral upward we are seeing increased coverage of alternative approaches to health and healing. The number one alternative, according to NIH, the National Institutes of Health, is prayer. Surprised?

Well, prayer, as it turns out, actually works, even for incurable, degenerative diseases that baffle medical experts. Below is an outstanding and inspiring example of how prayer was used to completely overcome Alzheimer’s. In this case, after a medical diagnosis, every conceivable remedy was applied: Chinese herbalism, homeopathy, ayurvedic medicine, and yoga, all in addition to the most up to date pharmaceutical remedies. After all else failed, this woman found prayer to be the only effective and permanent alternative. Hers is a must read story.

Alzheimer’s Disease Reversed

Her prayer-based triumph over Alzheimer’s is just one example of thousands, offering proof that medical diagnoses are not always final and that there is a practical spiritual alternative to forfeiting the joys of senior-hood.

You will find Bob Clark’s blog here.