People are clamoring for wellness care. Oooohhhh, care for my health rather than my symptoms?
-"That is a novel idea, but can't I do both?"
Not on this planet.
-"Why?"
When our motivation for seeking care is to alleviate symptoms, we have a subtractive motivation. Health is always expansive and addative, not subtractive. We judge the symptom as bad and want it removed. What if the pain were good?
-"It can't be because it hurts."
But what if pain is a teacher.
-"Then I don't want to learn....Excuse me, let me take another bite of my donut and sip my morning soda to wash it down....gulp...swallow....mmm, that's better. Now I can keep my eyes open...Those kind of lessons? I want to stay just the way I am."
But the way you are is what caused this problem.
-"No, it's not. I was born this way. My mother had this same pain too."
So you are a victim of your circumstance and birth?
-"Yeah, it isn't very fair, is it? So, let's get rid of this pain. Oh, and do it really quickly, and not for very much money, and I only want to come in one time."
No problem. We can do that, but I have a question for you.
-"Yes, what is it? But don't make it a hard one and don't make me think. I want this pain gone now!"
Just what is your problem? Is it the pain, or your unwillingness to learn from your circumstance?
-"Now that is a silly question. What do I need to learn? The problem is the pain, of course."
If the pain is your problem, and it has nothing to do with your choices in life, why do you think you have the pain?
-"I....well, I'm not sure."
Do you believe in God?
-"Yes, of course."
Is God loving, and does God want the best for us?
-"Yes, I think so."
Will God allow a situation in life that does not provide an opportunity for good?
-"I guess not."
So why does God allow pain?
-"I don't know."
When have you learned the most in your life: in easy situations or the hard ones?"
-"The hard ones, but I can see where this is going, and I don't like it. You're telling me that pain is good?"
In part. What I am trying to help you see is that pain is a teacher. Always. If we only want to get rid of it, we rarely learn the lesson. So the lesson will reoccur again. If we are willing to change ourselves and learn from our situations, those situations rarely have to happen again.
-"So, what does this have to do with wellness care?"
Well, if you are caring for your health, you don't try to get rid of symptoms, and you try to let the lessons they have to teach be instructive, so the symptoms can't serve us anymore. Once we embrace the lesson, we can grow beyond the lesson into the virtue we have gained, and the lesson can be released. The pain is like a box the lesson comes in. When you opened the box and gained the lesson, the box doesn't serve very much, unless you want to return it to the seller.
-"So wellness care is about the lesson, not the problem?"
Exactly.
-"But that sounds really hard. I would rather just get rid of the pain."
Actually, you have already tried to do that.
-"When? I haven't ever had this pain before."
Remember that series of colds you had last year?
-"Oh yeah, I had 4 colds last year, one right after the other.
What about the gall bladder attacks you had? And the surgery to have it removed?
-"Yeah. You think that was connected to this?"
Pain is a teacher, isn't it?
-"Well, if it is, I don't want to continue this process. I don't want to go through more of this."
And how do you get rid of the lesson?
-"By learning from it?"
Exactly. So are you interested in wellness care, or getting rid of the pain?
-"I think I would like to give wellness care a try."
Great choice. I knew you would look ahead and not behind. Well done! Let's start right now with your Wellness Nerve System Scan.

We have a new wellness plan. From our experience it builds your health, energy, improves attitude, and it is an investment in your health. Remember from the last newsletter that investment in your health is the one thing that will give you more time. What a great investment! We are going to make it easier than ever. We don't need to hear about symptoms, problems, pains, or illnesses. We just apply a timely adjustment to your spine based on the high-tech Wellness Nerve System Scan, and you get less nerve interference, greater immune function, less tension and stress...all at a great fee. Watch for the next opportunity to reach for this time expanding opportunity.

While shoveling snow on a brisk winter day, the unthinkable happened to Louis Cave of Boyceville. Something snapped, he tumbled to the ground and lay there unable to move.

"I just went down," said Cave. "My right leg gave out."

Extreme pain overcame him as he lay alone in the snow. It took some time, but a good Samaritan happened along. Driving past, an anonymous man saw Cave lying there, stopped his car, picked him up and carried him into the house. To this day, Cave is thankful for the rescue, but does not know who to thank, as the man's name remains a mystery.

That was almost two years ago, and since then Cave has spent most of his time in a wheelchair as a result of the injury. Visits to several area medical centers ensued, but testing revealed no answers and offered no relief.

"They did what they could do, but just couldn't find anything," said Cave, adding, "I was told I'd never walk again and that I'd be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life," said Cave.

Pain, medication, loss of appetite, weight loss, and depression became a way of life. The muscles that used to get a work- out on family farms in Wisconsin and shrimp boats in Louisiana had contracted due to lack of use.

That was the way it was until Cave's mother suggested trying acupuncture. Cave said he wasn't keen on the idea at first, but since nothing else had worked, he felt he had nothing to lose.

"I kind of laughed, like this is going to do any good," he said. "I went half-heartedly. I had no where else to turn."

The first session was not easy, as just the slightest touch caused the pale and gaunt Cave to cry in agony. Even a cotton swab moved across his back caused undue pain.

And the typical prone position was excruciating for Cave. So acupuncturist/chiropractor Dr. Fred Hoeppner of Menomonie, did the needle insertion with the use of guided tubes for painless application as Cave lay on his side. Approximately 10-20 needles were strategically placed, which Cave retained in his skin for 20 minutes before they were removed.

Cave's sensitivity to touch, combined with the uncomfortable, but only position he could manage, left him unsure about proceeding.

"The second time I was wondering if I should come back," said Cave.

Yet he persevered, fortified by a desire for change in his life, a life that could once again fully include his young son, Dennis.

"I wanted to play with my son and do things with him," said Cave.

By the second or third visit, Cave said he noticed a real difference.

"The doctor could touch my skin without me yelping," said Cave.

By the fourth visit, Cave said he was "a believer." And, since the eighth visit, Cave has been free of the wheelchair that bound him-he is now not only able to walk, but he has renewed circulation in his fingers and toes, which had been somewhat numb for years. He does pushups and recently completed a four-mile walkathon with his son.

Dr. Hoeppner referred to Cave's condition by how the ancient Chinese medicine would describe the diagnosis: "blood and chi stagnation," chi meaning life force. Hoeppner, a chiropractor, trained in Western medicine with a holistic view, views acupuncture as complementary to traditional medicine, not a substitute or replacement.

"It's just a puzzle piece in the health care system," he said.

The new chapter in Cave's life does not include pain or pain medication. Mobility has given the man, who now stands his full six feet tall, a new outlook and many possibilities. In addition to pushups, he walks, bikes, drives, exercises (tai chi, crunches, and sit-ups) and works out with weights. His appetite is back, but a soaring metabolism prevents much weight gain.

"I eat like a horse and can't seem to gain weight," said Cave, who had lost nearly 40 pounds. "I want to get back to where I was."

And more health-conscious than ever, he has changed a few other habits. Once a pop drinker, he now drinks a lot of water, carrying it everywhere.

Following one of his frequent sips, he said, "I switched over to water because it seems to purify your system. The more water you drink, it helps to flush your system."

Cave now visits Dr. Hoeppner about once a month and will continue as needed.

"I owe my life to that man," said Cave. "If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be walking."

He's also grateful to his mother who saw an ad for acupuncture in the newspaper, and to his uncles who are helping to pay for his acupuncture treatments.

He sees wheelchair-bound people who suffer with other physical challenges differently now.

"You see them, but you don't see them," he said, noting how easy it can be for someone to just drive or walk by without any acknowledgement or greeting. "I look at people in a completely different light. I'm glad to stop and say 'hi,' whether they want help or no help."

Whether or not there are clouds in the sky, the sun is always shining for Louis Cave. Acupuncture gave him hope and more.

"It changed my life," said Cave. "My attitude is different. I'm a completely different me. The world re-opened. I gained back my independence."

"Chiropractic and acupuncture work well together," said Dr. Hoeppner. He advises readers: "Always seek treatment from only qualified professionals."

Women who exercise by doing the housework can reduce their risk of breast cancer, a study suggests. The research on more than 200,000 women from nine European countries found doing household chores was far more cancer protective than playing sport. Dusting, mopping, and vacuuming was also better than having a physical job. The women in the Cancer Research UK- funded study spent an average of 16-17 hours a week cooking, cleaning, and doing the washing.

Experts have long known that physical exercise can reduce the risk of breast cancer, probably through hormonal and metabolic changes. But is has been less clear how much and what types of exercise are necessary for this risk reduction. And much of the past work has examined the link between exercise and breast cancer in post-menopausal women only.

The latest study looked at both pre- and post-menopausal women and a range of activities, including work, leisure, and housework. All forms of physical activity combined reduced breast cancer risk in post-menopausal women, but had no obvious in pre-menopausal women.

Chores protected
Out of all of the activities, only housework significantly reduced the risk of both pre- and post-menopausal women getting the disease. Housework cut breast cancer risk by 30% among the pre-menopausal women and 20% amond the post-menopausal women.

The women were studied over an average of 6.4 years, during which time there were 3,423 cases of breast cancer.

The international authors said their results suggested that moderate forms of physical activity, such as housework, may be more important than less frequent but more intense recreational physical activity in reducing breast cancer risk.

Dr. Lesley Walker of Cancer Research UK said: "We already know that women who keep a healthy weight are less likely to develop breast cancer.
"This study suggests that being physically active may also help reduce the risk and that something as simple and cheap as doing the housework can help."

He recommended that men and women take regular exercise and maintain a healthy body weight to help prevent cancer.

This research is published in the journal, Cancer Epidemology Biomarkers and Prevention

MONTREAL--A 65-year-old Quebec man who received a new long-term mechanical heart last month is being described as the only living Canadian without a pulse.

Dr. Renzo Cecere implanted the "Heartmate II" mechanical heart into Gerard Langevin in a three-hour operation on November 23.

Officials at the McGill University Helath Centre say the device, which is about the size of a flashlight battery, could last up to 10 years. That is longer than other models which are thought to be good for only two or three years.

The new mechanical heart, which is powered by batteries located in pouches on Mr. Langevin's body, provides a continuous flow of blood so the patient has no pulse.

"Mr. Langevin happens to be the only individual currently living in Canada without a pulse and without a measurable blood pressure," Dr. Cecere said Wednesday.

Dr. O's Comment: All women know what this article was written by a male for males. Because there are, according to women, thousands, if not millions of men living across the country with no pulse or blood pressure. Many of these knowledgeable women have long, personal experience with this common condition that medicine seems to know nothing about: Pulseless Male Syndrome or PMS. So far, in folklore, there is no cure for the dreaded male condition, Pulseless Male Syndrome, but it is known to create a reactive condition in women, curiously also known as PMS. We at Nature's Healing Center are actively trying to find a cure for this dreaded male condition that, curiously, seems to cause serious side effects in women.

If anyone has and advice or insight, please pass it along.