Over the span of my two decades as a natural health practitioner, there have been a number of memorable moments.
One was when I was chosen to provide a shiatsu treatment for the Japanese Minister of Finance, Masayoshi Takemura , during the G8 conference held in Halifax, June 15 -17 1995.
It all began with a phone call a month or two before the summit from a Japanese Government aide, acting on the behalf of the Minister, enquiring of my availability.( At the time, I had something of a monopoly, being the only qualified shiatsu therapist in the city.) Naturally I expressed my interest in being of help.
What was necessary, I was told , was to meet with the advance security team to be screened. Please recall that at this time security precautions for our elected officials were nowhere as convoluted and elaborate as they are today, as you shall see.
A few weeks later,the next stage involved arranging to show up at the hotel room where the advance security detachment was staying.
It was a rainy evening walk from my apartment across the Halifax Commons to the hotel. Going up to the proper floor, I knocked. The door was cracked open by a burley figure. After a cursory glance, he opened the door wide and I was ushered into the dimly lit double bed room.The curtains were drawn with one corner light on. The rest of the security team, a half dozen beefy men with serious expressions, was seated at the end of one of the beds and in chairs, huddled around the glare of the tv , nosily consuming their dinner. Faces near bowls, chopsticks clacking. Sunglasses, beverages and food containers littered a table. One or two may have been in a suit, the rest were in business casual dress. Except for when I first stepped into the room, they spared no glance in my direction. The door opener announced who I was, the rest grunted in muffled unison and returned to the tv. I don’t recall what show held their interest so much but I’m pretty sure it was an American drama.
One fellow in a matching track suit rose and came over. In refracted english he asked that I proceed and provide him with a shiatsu treatment.( English clearly was not this teams strong point.) He motioned to the bed near the door. He lay face down. I began my shiatsu routine by working on his muscular back. Although the circumastances were unique, I was quite used to adjusting my routine to provide sessions in a variety of public spaces. So I was able to tune out the nearby distractions. After a little while, when it became obvious to my recipient that I knew what I was doing, he gestured that I finish the session. He made some approving comments to his companions. There were a few responding grunts but no one interrupted their fixation with the tv. With that I was thanked, told to expect a telephone call and dismissed with a bow. I had passed the Japanese Delegation security clearance.
Closer to the date of the event, the Ministers aide again telephoned me to arrange a time for the Ministers session. It was to be in the late afternoon, after one of his meetings. I recall riding my bike down to the hotel, a change of clothes in my bag. I locked up my bike at a nearby lamp post, gathering up my bag. The aide, a young thin man in a snappy suit, met me outside the Prince George hotel. He escorted me in, past the police outside. Just before we boarded the elevator, an RCMP officer stopped us, wanting to know who I was, asking where my ID tag was. The aide showed his own tag and explained that I was a visitor for his Minister. The Officer said ‘One minute please.’ We waited near the elevators. He returned with a clipboard and a tag. He asked for some ID. I pulled out my wallet and showed him my drivers license. I was signed in, given a tag to clip to my belt and waved on. Up we went. I had now passed through Canadian Security.
It turned out, not surprisingly, that the Minister was delayed, his meeting going late. I had to wait for more than an hour or so in a seating area in a hallway near his suite. I was left on my own although the aide would step out once in a while to reassure me that it would be any moment now.
Once the Minister arrived, he bustled by without a glance and entered his room, the door shutting behind him. Eventually the aide reappeared to explain: ‘Now the Minister has to freshen up’ . Only after a shower and with strong drink in his hand, was I ushered into the suite. The aide acted as the interpreter - the Minster did not speak to me, other than a perfunctory half bow. Once introductions were complete the aide left.
The Minister placed his tumbler on a night stand and reclined, prone, on one of the beds in the suite, dressed in a bath robe. As I began to work he closed his eyes. Small in stature, his body was solid and big. Not long after that he fell asleep. Then he began to snore, deep and sonorous. He remained unresponsive through the whole session. He was so out of it it felt like one of those moments where you could stop, read a magazine for an hour, do a few grand finishing flourishes, nudge him awake, and the recipient would be none the wiser. Not giving in to such idle temptation, professional that I am, I gamely carried on, doing my best with his inert body.
Once finished, the Minister, was reclining on his back, eyes closed. I cleared my throat a few times. Still no response. So I tapped his shoulder. There was a relaxing sigh. He gestured that I could go.
I met the aide out in the hall. Here we had the added excitement of haggling about my fee. He was not willing to cover the time that I had to wait. ‘He is paying this out of is own pocket’ the aide said in a mild form of admonishment. I loved the irony of the moment - I, the practically penniless practitioner, riding around on a ten year old bicycle, being told that the Minister of one of the most powerful industrial nations did not have an extra few dollars, could I not be more flexible? This went back and forth for a bit, again a cultural moment. We eventually reached a sum that was mutually agreeable. I don’t recall a tip being included.
The aide and I took the elevaor down. I turned in my id tag, we bowed out farewells, and I exited the hotel. Outside, I unlocked my bike and set off for home. Another eventful day in the life of a humble shiatsu practitioner.
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Ancient Remedy Alleviates Modern Ills
In this challenging time of budget restraints and program reviews, it is refreshing to note that an innovative acupuncture technique has been offered through Addiction Prevention and Treatment Services (APTS) here in Nova Scotia since July of 1999. It is a technique popular with clients and staff. Research has demonstrated that this treatment as being successful in substantially reducing withdrawal symptoms and the cravings associated with addictive or compulsive behaviours as well as symptoms of trauma.
On any given morning a number of clients make their way to the group room at sites though out the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM). Entering the room you will find participants seated quietly in a large circle of chairs. Clearly relaxed, most have their eyes closed, some sleep, some appear to meditate. Look more closely and you will see that they have up to five thin acupuncture needles on the surface of each ear. Once the needles are in place, the recipients rest in their own quiet space. In addition, they have an opportunity to indulge in a detoxifying herbal tea formulated from seven organic herbs. This tea is designed to help them relax and heal.
Not everyone who visits this clinic is necessarily dealing with a history of addiction. The calming and soothing effect of the acupuncture has proven beneficial to those dealing with depression, anxiety, and high stress levels. Sleeping patterns begin to stabilize and participants report feeling more grounded and relaxed. At the same time this treatment has been shown to be effective with all modes of addictive and compulsive behaviours: nicotine, alcohol, opiates, methadone, cocaine, gambling and even eating disorders have been helped. Those suffering from traumatic stress symptoms also can benefit.
Originating in the Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx,NY City over thirty years ago, this procedure is now being used internationally in a wide variety of treatment settings such as hospitals, street clinics and prisons. It has been used at ground zero in New York to treat first responders, in New Orleans to for residents displaced by Hurricane Katrina, in Haiti for victims of the earthquake, and at Stadacona military base in Halifax, N.S. for veterans of the Aghan conflict. Over a third of the prisons in the U.K. offer this procedure where it was found that prisoners became more manageable, fought less, and remained clean of drugs longer. There are well over 1000 clinics in operation world-wide.
Here in Nova Scotia, the first Maritime clinic began in Dartmouth by targeting smoking cessation. The success of these trials led to an expansion of this service. Another precedent for the Maritimes was that the first Acupuncture Detoxification Specialist training was held in November 1999. This was followed by the establishment of other acupuncture clinics in HRM. Today there are locations found throughout Nova Scotia, PEI and New Brunswick.
This acupuncture protocol can easily be learned by anyone working in the healing field. It is taught effectively in a 70 hour program modeled on the Lincoln Hospital program. A wide range of clinicians can take the training including counselors, social workers, nurses, medical doctors and psychologists. This arrangement allows for the acupuncture to be integrated with existing services in a flexible and cost effective manner.
How does it work? The medical theory behind acupuncture holds that placing needles at strategic points on the body can stimulate internal energy and strengthen the body's balancing mechanisms. Auricular acupuncture utilizes points exclusively on the ear , like reflexology using points on the feet, to influence other areas of the body and psyche. Five standard points are used - two for relaxation, - shen men, sympathetic, and three organ points - lung, liver, kidney. For the best effect the needles are left in place for 45 minutes. Since the effects are accumulative, participants are recommended to come as frequently as they can in the first three weeks of starting treatment.
Oriental medicine sees the behaviours associated with addiction as resembling a 'false fire', one characterized by aggressive, destructive tendencies. The acupuncture calms this fire, bypassing much of the verbal denial and resistance that limit the participation of new and relapsed clients in treatment programs. Acupuncture can reduce stress and craving so that participants gradually become more ready to participate in the treatment process. Studies have shown that recipients of this acupuncture stay drug free longer and remain in treatment programs longer.
Each of us seek greater power and control in our lives. False fire is the illusion of power - an illusion that leads to more desperate levels of abuse and senseless violence. Acupuncture is an effective treatment for false fire. The recipient is empowered, but in a gentle, easy and long lasting manner.
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While I follow our national politics, I do consider myself to be apolitical. Yet every once in a while current events spur me to compose a letter to the editor of our local paper. While not directly related to health matters or my profession, I feel this entry fits under the umbrella of a maintaining healthy perspective. Let me know what you think.
Dear Sir,
I beg to differ with Mr. Keddy’s glib assessment of proroguing parliament as ‘ no big deal’. Funny how times change. As I recall, he used to make a big deal of it when he sat on the opposite side of the House. As the official opposition, the Conservatives took the government to task for proroguing, claiming that any party which prorogues is clearly ‘running away’ and ‘losing its moral authority to rule’ , to quote Mr. Harper. Mr. Keddy campaigned never to prorogue parliament, citing the terrible example set by the Liberals. He now uses the very same example to defend his partys decision to prorogue. The transition from the condemnation of ‘not on our watch’ to the questionable logic of ‘they did it, so we can too’ is fascinating .
Closing parliament raises questions: Who does this serve?
More importantly, what has this Conservative ‘recalibration’ accomplished so far?
Firstly, progress on the 36 legislative acts before parliament is not only halted, it has been erased. All of the work and debate to move those acts forward has been wasted as they have to be reintroduced, starting at square one. Could Mr. Keddy remind me how are we to benefit from this? Especially as some of these acts were touted by the Conservatives as being ever so urgent.
How is suspending the work and due diligence of each and every parliamentary committee that contribute to the oversight of parliament, well over 30 of them, how is this a good thing?
How is it that a party which campaigned for a reformed elected senate has done nothing to promote this cause. In fact the exact opposite occurred.( Mr. Harper’s very first act as Prime minister was to appoint his campaign co-chair as a senator in the staid old self serving way.) The latest appointments to the senate were made in a similar manner that the conservatives once roundly condemned.
Mr Keddy, What happened to the accountability touted by your party? You promised to reform how appointments to parliamentary boards and committees are made. Instead of a transparent process based on merit, we have the dubious benefit of over 1500 Conservative appointments made over the years that have been made not on merit but on ideology. The current debacle in the Right and Democracy committee is just one sad example of this trend.
Your party had a campaign promise to strengthen the Access to Information Act and increase public disclosure. Instead, once elected, 10 exemptions and two exclusions were added to the Access to Information law. The result? It is more difficult than ever to get a response on sensitive issues, let alone in a timely manner, as files are routinely screened and held up in the Privy Council Office This has increased government ability to cover-up wrongdoing, shield itself from embarrassment and control the flow of information to Canadians.
Even worse, Mr. Harper is proposing to forever bar from public disclosure all records relating to investigations of wrongdoing within the government. So that if a spending scandal similar to that of our provincial MLAs ever happened on a national level with our MPs, we would never know about it. Remind me again, Mr. Keddy, how increased secrecy in government serves me?
As a result of these and other questionable decisions, The 2008 Global Integrity Report ranked Canada 13th overall in the Government Accountability category (worse than countries such as Latvia, Bulgaria, Romania, Malawi, Philippines, Peru, Pakistan and Colombia), and 15th overall in the Anti-Corruption and Rule of Law category (worse than countries such as Jordan, Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Romania, Latvia, Argentina, India, Vanuatu, Kenya and Ukraine).
Suspending the essential democratic process of the houses of parliament is indeed a big deal. It is huge. Silencing the one forum where you and your cohorts can be held accountable does not speak well for what you stand for. The allure of proroguing parliament in a time bereft of threat or crises would seem like a good tactical move for a minority government. Why not silence the majority opposition and ‘calibrate’ the levers of government in an unsupervised obnubilate fashion. Strategically, and ethically, this has been enormous mistake, recognized as such here at home and internationally. In the end, weakening our democratic process serves no-one.
Sincerely,
Don Himmelman
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Take a moment to ponder your response to this question : What is your health based upon?
Typical answers regard factors we can relate to but not necessarily control. Some might answer genetics or geography, age or nutrition, mood or some combination of these.
Few would reply that our state of health is a reflection of our perceptual expectations influenced by the prevailing social construct. Pardon? Come again?
Let me illustrate with a few examples:
Have you ever thought about eye charts? No, me neither, until it was pointed out that these are designed in such a way that the large letters are at the top and the smallest at the bottom. So the inherent expectation built into this test is that at some point you will not be able to see. (Failing eyesight is inevitable is it not?) When a researcher reversed the chart - little letters at the top, big letters at the bottom, the test results were different for participants. Their eyesight scores improved.
In another perceptual study, researchers wanted to look at the healing rates of two groups with identical wounds - in this case gunshot trauma to the abdomen. One group was composed of civilians, the other of military personnel. Which group would have a faster healing rate? If you answered the military you are correct but not for the reasons you suspect. It wasn’t their training or their environment. The main variable identified was their emotional response. The majority of the wounded military personnel felt relieved that their injury was a belly wound. Of all the possible injuries one could expect in the line of military duty, this definitely was low on the scale of severity. Meanwhile, the civilian group had an entirely different emotional response - it definitely was not relief! Not surprisingly, they felt that this injury was catastrophic - the worst thing that could have happened. Their immune system responded accordingly. The civilian healing rate was measurably slower. Same event, different emotional perspective, different outcome. How we view things can make a difference.
Let me elaborate.
There are three parameters to defining health and/or age.
The first is chronological - clock time is undeniable as it arbitrarily records the steady passage of linear time. Little can be done about this. (Although in a future article I will speak to the difference between ‘clock’ time and ‘event’ time.)
The second measurement of health is physiological - here we can have more of an influence. We may advance or retard the aging process of our body through various considerations: nutritional, physical movement, habitual patterns, quality of home or work environment and choice of geography or climate.
The last level is where we can exercise the greatest control : psychological - here I’m referring to one’s perspective. This in turn is affected by how we choose to see things. Your perspective reveals how you interpret the world around you. The attitudes and perceptions we cultivate are also influenced by the social expectations of our community.
Take aging: in some cultures, the elderly are revered for the wisdom and experience they contribute. In our culture, we often use an arbitrary age to remove someone from their livelihood. The message here is that our most experienced and knowledgeable members of our work force are not to be revered. They are to be retired. Instead, younger, inexperienced and less wise replacements are treated as more valuable contributors.
Another common social expectation about aging is that we will become ill and incompetent. Which seemed true for one group of elderly research subjects until they were put in an environment that reflected life 20 years earlier. Within a week not only had their health scores changed - even their physical appearance.
“When the study participants — elderly men who at first appeared to be frail and dependent — lived in this environment for a week, the results were nothing short of amazing. Their height, weight, gait, posture, hearing, memory, appetite, dexterity, arthritis, blood pressure and general well being improved in those mere seven days. “We even took photographs of them at the beginning, and at the end of the week,” Langer says. “People who knew nothing about the study evaluated the photos. And according to these unbiased witnesses, they [the elderly men] even looked younger. The ‘magic’ lies in being aware of the ways we mindlessly react to social and cultural cues.”
This study was conducted by Ellen Langer (www.ellenlanger.com) and described in her new book ‘Counterclockwise: Mindful Health and the Power of Possibility’. She argues that when people are conditioned to believe there are certain limits to what they can do, that becomes true for them—and vice versa, when told they are capable, they are often able to do something, even if the medical data says they can’t.
What excites me most about Ellen Langer’s work is that she posits that the key to unravelling our perceptions and expectations is profoundly simple: mindfulness. Mindfulness plays an important role in my own work with clients and students.
The act of paying attention, of noticing something new, changes our perspective which then changes the choices we make, the quality of our health, even of our lives. Furthermore, Langer suggests that mindfulness allows us to be more optimistic because we are open and attentive to possibilities, and that this in turn facilitates recovery from illness or addiction.
‘When people are taught to be mindful in a fashion very different from meditation, they become more creative, healthier, and happier. They show improvements in memory, attention, and productivity, a decrease in judgment of self and others, and a decrease in burnout. Most dramatically, the research has found an increase in longevity, an improvement in vision, and a decrease in weight, all as a result of people changing their minds.’
There is a vast difference between the arbitrary view of ‘this is how it is and there is nothing we can do about it’ and the view of ‘this is how I see it at this time. How may I see it differently?’
One world constricts and restrains and is fraught with limitations; the other liberates and is ripe with possibilities. Which world do you choose?
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Welcome! My main intention with this site is to focus on health related issues although there is a good chance that my wide ranging interests above and beyond natural health will be reflected within this forum. Thank you for your interest and come back soon!
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