Yule Tide Rolling

Hello my friend,

            Muddville has been a happening place this week…I am glad you made time to help me wrap these presents…thank you so much…here is a roll of paper, tape and I have a cutter gadget for you…life waters’ are in the fridge if you want one…it has been a busy week- positive, but difficult…let me fill you in

            Massage has been picking up…my snowbirds are flying in- this has been great because when they left I was fat and smoked, I love the looks I am getting:)…the bodywork has been flowing and so has conservation…my local patients are keeping scrapbooks of how things are going…we are all working toward better health…can any therapist ask for more?

            In school, Naturopathy is a very interesting subject…last week was my midterm and a paper…this is not a great deal of work, but on a packed week it seemed huge…lol…thankfully it is a subject I have passion for and that makes it much easier

            American Boudica is focused on The Sunshine Paddle at the moment…Chris has been working with his daughter in Painting…her name is Kay Bilton…keep an eye out, her work is fab and I am sure if she sticks with it she will be quite successful…she has an acute eye for movement and motion…I am also praying for a Yule miracle for the old computer, that we can at least salvage the information from her Motherboard

            The Circle has been a giving place this holiday…15 children of 4 different religions in 5 countries will have a holiday this year…I have a wonderful congregation and I am thankful for each member…it is a true feeling of being blessed to be a part of it…the best present I could get is to be surrounded by such wonderful people…

            The Sunshine Paddle has been a blessing this week…The 8^th Annual Peace Breakfast for The Sunrise Shelter at the Tampabay Golf and Country Club was very moving…I had to go to Sarasota to check on my boat…it was Walter and my 13^th Anniversary…I called Siesta Bike and Kayak Rental and Scotty had me call Siesta Key Bungalow…I explained to Gayle the pinch I was in and she offered to help me out…OMG…what a beautiful blessing…we got to paddle through the Neville Reserve at sunset…Walter is gaining confidence…we got back to see the last of the sunset in the Gulf of Mexico…Lance had recommended Captain Curt’s Crab  Bar…it was clean and had good food…the bungalowwas fit for a princess on a beach holiday…Gayle brought out the girlie pirate in me…lol…the next morning we caught sunrise at the public beach…I understand why it is voted the #1 beach…VERY Romantic…Walter gave me a paddle with blades that match the Blue Horizon and I got him a metal detector for when he has to wait on shore for me…the perfect practice/ anniversary weekend cap off was at the Orange Octopus…YUM

            I saw an article this week about how Florida was the most depressed state in the country…I do not agree with that statement…since the economy went belly up here first and unemployment is high…people are worn out, but are still quick with a joke and boisterous with laughter…we have a lot of fun and understand how to hunker down…our state has its very own Peyton Place- past and present, beautiful beaches that you do not have to be beautiful to walk and great food served by cooks before they become famous…I have been up and down the west coast and middle of the state for practice and found this to be true all over the state…I chose Florida many years ago…it is my home and I love it here…I guess they wrote the article with some facts they looked up and did not understand this state or her people

            We have color popping up all over the yard…while in Siesta Key, we saw a lot of color…I love the Palm Trees all decorated in holiday lights…I thought about getting some solar holiday lights for my cactus…maybe next year…we are trying to cut the electric bill to help save for the trip as donations have been slow;/

            A question was posed to me about the smell or lack thereof in my house since I have 4 dogs and a cat…I sweep 3-4 times a day…I mop once or twice a day…animals get bathed once a week…I have removed all carpet…they also get walked and brushed several times a day…it’s a lot of work…I would not trade them for the world;)

Herbal Healing Salve

1 cup herb infused oil (in this case lemon mint)

1 - 2 oz. Beeswax

2 Tablespoons Honey

10 capsules Vitamin E Oil

½ tsp. each tea tree and lavender essential oils

In a small pan, gently heat the herb infused oil, honey and beeswax until barely melted. Cut or poke the vitamin E capsules open, and squeeze the vitamin E oil into the beeswax/oil mixture. Remove from heat, and add the essential oils. Pour a tiny amount of the salve mixture onto waxed paper or into a container to cool. Test it for thickness - if you'd like it to be harder, add more beeswax. If you'd like it to have a thinner balm, add more oils.

When you're satisfied with the consistency, pour the balm into clean, sanitized jars and let cool. This all-purpose salve can be used for cuts, scrapes, splinters, diaper rash, burns, rashes, or for dry skin.

Well honey, I am tired and we have everything ready except for the few that have yet to be delivered….again…many thanks for pitching in…may you make time to help those who help others this season…give someone the gift of laughter…its free and is usually returned right away- in a good way…lol…Merry Yule

Blessed Be,

D

First Press of the Flesh

Merry Meet,


I have been so busy…I am glad we have a minute to sit…would you like some pomegranate juice over ice?? Okay, I am ready, put your feet up and I will fill you in…

Massage has been awesome…clients have been helping me plot my trip and bringing in information…if you did not know I have the best clients in the whole world…the energy has been so great it over flows everywhere…my license renewal came in the mail…I feel bad that so very many could not afford to renew…I am thankful my parents believe in me that they would help me through this renewal process as the Dept of Health has made it so hard for Massage Therapists…did you know I have to take more continuing education than a nurse…kind of blows the mind when you think about it

School is going…I just keep reminding myself I will soon have a degree and I can get through this…it is not a hard subject, the teacher is…we will just say some teachers could teach you about dirt and have you excited to learn about it…while others make you want to smack someone with a wet noodle…anyone got a noodle?

American Boudica Publishing is still on hiatus at the moment…Chris has been MIA due to problems with his Virgin phone service…

In the Circle we had a waterside prayer session…it was beautiful and an attendance of 20 was the biggest we have seen in person…I feel a sense of community rather than government will get us back to work

The Sunshine Paddle has been a lot of work…my muscles are sore from working out…I have also been filling out a ton of sponsorship requests…I have also written letters to the Shark Lab, USF and the Audubon to see if they want any data collected while I am out there…I got to meet up with the Girl Scout Counsel of West Central Florida today at their HQ...it is a neat building…I will meet with Tami Longaberger next week;)

When I was MUCH younger, I was a brownie and then a girl scout. When my daughters were younger, no troops were really available to them (they were USN Sea Cadets out of Tampa). After meeting with 2 young women today, I feel the program has gone through a revamping so to speak…I was so VERY IMPRESSED…I know many of you have not enrolled your girls, as at one point the program seemed to be all about cookie sales…one young lady sat and explained what was available now to the young ladies of the area (camping, swimming, kayaking, etc…), it warmed my heart to see what the program has become...Juliette Gordon Low would be proud…I had no idea how much it had changed or that so much was available again…if you have a daughter, check out your area and get her enrolled (it is not the same as 4H and does not give the same lessons- it would be great if they could do both)…if you do not have a daughter, buy a box of cookies and kill 2 birds with one stone…a young woman raised with a good sense of self and self esteem is FAR less likely to get beat…the very sweet women left me feeling better about the future…it sounds like they will try to pull a kayak day off;)

The animals get a little upset with me doing so much research…Chole shredded a book I had gotten for my daughter…when Quintus is ready for me, he throws himself across my feet with a loud sigh…with so much rain, they have not been allowed out much… it has been fun to watch Chole play in the puddles when they do go out

With so much rain the flowers are giving great fall color and each bloom looks more spectacular than the last…mowing is back to every 3 days…our fig has set fruit…I had never seen a natural long stemmed rose until this year…blooming happy this year

Do you have an mp3 player you like, that is easy 2 use, with lots of storage??? My friend Tim is helping me find one I can take with me on the kayak…I do not want apple as they can be a pain in the posterior…also looking for a dependable tablet…please message me your thoughts

Well my child, I need to study...I have to take my midterm tomorrow...I also need to work on more logistics for the trip too...lol...channeling my inner Capt. Phil...sleep is for the dead;)

Blessed Be,

D

Benefit of Integrative Medicine

Welcome and good day to you, my name is Dorraine Cooper-Rooney, I am a Licensed Massage Therapist (MA44729) from Wesley Chapel, Florida with over 400 patients…I am a daughter of seniors and have raised 38 children…it seems like I have delt with some type of medicine since I was 18 years old…this child fell off the skateboard, that child got into a fight, mom’s blood sugar is up, dad needs teeth pulled, the other child broke a leg skiing…with all that is currently going on in healthcare, I have great concern with what I am currently seeing…I would like to show you the problems and some answers that would benefit us all…I would like to introduce you to and show you the benefit of Integrative Medicine…I can hear you in the audience groaning at yet another speech on medicine, I too am tired of hearing them…so let me show you how to fix the situation so we can move on


In medicine we fight many factors to help the patient. With the leading fight being between conventional medicine and alternative medicine, a secondary battle is on a governmental level and last (but, in now way least) how this has let big money run medicine instead of practitioners being able to work freely. Using a plan of integrative medicine would eliminate all of those battles and give, we, the patients the ability to make educated choices, the practitioners the freedom of treatment and make medicine affordable to all.

Like a prize fight in Vegas, I can almost hear the announcer…on this side, wearing the blue trunks, we have conventional medicine…can you hear the audience cheering…wearing the purple trunks, its alternative medicine…a cheer goes up from the opposite side of the arena. This has been a long drawn out battle. Neither side appears to be winning with the biggest loser being the patient.

Conventional medicine is what you now see in most hospitals…very scientific and based heavily in the use of surgery and pharmaceuticals. Dr. Andrew Weil, a Harvard trained physician and supporter of Integrative medicine is quoted stating ‘One of the great tragedies of conventional medicine is that the amount of time doctors spend with patients has come down drastically. In some countries like Japan, this is even worse where doctors now see 30 patients in an hour and are called 'two-minute doctors'.

Alternative or Natural medicine is based in the use of herbs and natural practices that have happened for thousands of years. Ayurveda, Acupuncture, Chinese Medicine and Chiropractic name a few modalities in this genera.

When you go to the hospital with the bag of supplements you are taking and the nurse or doctor looks at you like you have lost your mind…do not be surprised or amazed, it is how deeply this fight runs.

Being a student obtaining a bachelor of science in alternative medicine, who will be going to premed, let me give you a tid bit I observed…Did you know; currently there is no mandate for a premed student to take herbology or Botany? There is however one for them to take pharmacology. So a doctor does not have to know what is in the pill, just which ones to push.

I can hear you in the back…I did say Bachelor of Science in alternative medicine and going to be a Medical Doctor…how? Why? Would you choose such a path? I can see the integration of medicine happening…I want to be part of medicine to come…Integrative Medicine is taking the best of both worlds and providing it to the patient…giving we, the patient, the chance to make the best possible choices in our own healthcare. To quote Dr. Weil one more time, ‘Integrative medicine means a true marriage, a system that draws on the best aspects, ideas and practices of all systems of healing.’

Let us next go to our government on every level and how they are corrupting medicine…the accept money and or expensive gifts for votes from the AMA, insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies…these people are not overly concerned with the health of patients, only how much money those patients can put into their pockets. We are talking about a 2+ trillion dollar a year industry (Answers). Funny thing is most of the people making these decisions for us do not have any type of medical degree. A good example of this would be Governor Rick Scott of Florida, whom according to MQA license look up on the Florida Department of Health website, has never held a medical license in the state, but has in fact run several healthcare facilities. Though he did much as a business, in the hospitals he ran the level of healthcare went down as people no longer had time to care about the patients they were charged with, this I have heard from several clients. When I asked an ER nurse about it, I was told about how much more paperwork and many more patients (she asked to remain anonymous).

My son is now 28. When I gave birth to him, my nurse (Julie) only had 3 other young mothers to look after, I felt like she was one of the family and with her help I got used to being a new mother and I was given 2-3 days in the hospital. My daughters are now 21 (twins) and when I gave birth to them, the nurse had 10 girls to care for…I can not even remember her name…from the point the babies popped out, they and I were on a countdown as to how many hours the insurance company would pay for me to stay. In the years since, the rooms got nicer, but the care got so limited…it is actually a much worse experience and we wonder why so many young girls are going through post partum depression? Really?

Another place you see care slipping, is the use of transportation to nursing homes for clients who do not show immediate recovery…according to the Insurance it is cheaper for them…that is because they do not concern themselves with what is actually best for the patient only the bottom line…young people in nursing homes recover much more slowly due to depression from their surroundings (Yahoo). I know I would want to get put in a room with a few 90 year olds to recover from knee surgery, would you?

Look around the room; can we count 2 people in this room that don’t take at least one pill a day? Think about that. When I was growing up, only people who were sick took pills…now it seems we all do. Pharmaceutical companies have worked to make us a pill centered society. Got a bump on your toe…got a pill for it…got a rash on your butt…got a pill for it…what about when the pills stop working?

In the end, it will be up to us as patients to stand up for the right to have and use Integrative Medicine. I wish to appeal to each and every one of you to speak to your health care provider about their knowledge of Integrative Medicine. I ask those of you who have insurance to request your provider have Integrative qualifications. Do not be afraid of your federal, state and local officials…stand up and talk to them for in the end they too would benefit from a better form of health care.

In conclusion, I find when Integrative Medicine used…I see much healthier patients, lower healthcare costs and the ability to provide better care to many. With the ‘type of’ healthcare fight that would no longer exist, practitioners could focus on education. Wouldn’t that be a better world for all of us?