Donate Life

April is National Donate Life Month.  That set me to thinking, …”let me count the ways.”

There are many thoughtful folks who sign up to be organ donors.  You can see it on their marquee license plates or on a card in their wallet.  They have made the decision to give parts of their body to others at their death or during their lives, for the benefit of those in apparent need.  No doubt, this is an unselfish act and shows, in one way, love for one’s neighbor.

Others choose to give to blood banks.  During my service in the US Peace Corps, I had a friend who became ill and the medical staff in this Manila hospital felt that a transfusion was needed for my friend to survive.  The blood type was rare but a donor was found.  Without the donor and patient knowing it, the donor turned out to be the Director of the Peace Corps in that country and the recipient, one of his volunteers.  They had no idea of their relationship, but the supply and the need matched through a sense of generosity…giving unselfishly.  The volunteer was enormously grateful, of course, as was the Director.

What other ways might we “donate life”?  More broadly, aren’t we donating life to others when we coach kids in a way that includes sportsmanship, gender equality, honest play, vigor and self-discipline?  What about when we raise our children to be ethical, productive and caring?  Consider those who visit the homebound and bring joy and vivacity to their bedside.  Certainly, we have all had the opportunity to share a word of encouragement to a stranger in need.

I believe the sense of life was lifted above the physical aspect in the Biblical statement regarding Christ Jesus when it states, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly”*.  That abundance is not measured by anatomy or money, but arises from the spirit of unselfish love that was lived by the master Christian as an example to us all.

So whether or not I choose to be an organ or blood donor, I can donate abundantly to life. Each of us can and probably does do just that each day, in great measure.   There is no limit to our resources in making such donations.

*John 10:10

A College Parent’s View

March is National Collegiate Health and Wellness Month.  Who knew?

I just called our senior university student as a market study of one and these were his answers to my questions:

Are you aware that this is Health and Wellness Month for colleges and universities?  No.

Are health issues a common discussion among students that you know?  No, however in the dorms (recalling from when he was in a dorm), there is some discussion regarding health and sexual habits.

So, health is not a “water cooler” topic among students?  No, unless there is some kind of bug (contagious disease) going around.

Do students use the health center?  No, not often that I’m aware of.

If they are not well, do they call home for support or advice?  No, not really.  When a common, contagious disease is going around, the students usually take care of it themselves with rest or common over-the-counter drugs.

As a caring parent, I’m glad that disease does not occupy our student’s thought and time.  It may be an important reason why he has had a healthy four years.  Part of the reason I don’t find myself being anxious about his health while he is away from home is knowing peace of mind is a reassuring support for him.

I was reading an article in the “Your Health” section of The Arizona Republic, March 15, regarding the disease, shingles.  The purpose of the article was to discuss vaccination as a method of prevention.  It reminded me of when our son had shingles a few years ago.  He had wandered into the nurse’s office on campus for a band-aid and she diagnosed it as such.  Our own particular approach to healing is spiritual, seeing the importance of being mindful of one’s innate health as an expression of God’s love, always present and powerful.  Our son’s healing came quickly and completely…no recurrence or lingering, no medical treatment required.

It was interesting to note at the end of the newspaper article, written by Connie Cone Sexton, that she listed some good advice other than vaccination for addressing shingles.  I was pleased to see that the list included, rest, avoidance of stress, simple exercise, and, perhaps most importantly, “Do things that take your mind off pain”.  Right.  There is a fair consensus growing that what we hold in thought, affects how we feel.

That simple advice, along with daily prayer that clarifies and strengthens my thoughts against prevalent fears of disease, appears to be at the base of what I am able to do best for our collegian.  I am able to impart a sense of peace, freedom from fear, and expectation of healthy activity, which our son knows he will find when he calls or even thinks about home.  In turn, his concerns are not inflamed by parental fears.

Overarching this is the awareness our family has developed from study of healings in the Bible and a companion text* we peruse regularly that illustrate there is one infinite, loving Parent, who impartially and universally bestows constant, divine good to all.  United in that thought leaves no separation between parents and their college kids in the face of challenges to their health and wellness.  Here’s to March and beyond.

*Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy.

AGE, VIRTUAL AGE, OR ETERNAL

Last week at the gym, my wife noticed another woman vigorously working out with weights and fitness machines.  Given the level of her exertion, my wife asked why the exceptional effort.  She said she was working on her “virtual age”.  She had taken a physical examination that indicated she had achieved a virtual age ten years younger than her chronological age. She was very proud of this and wanted to maintain it. She believed it to be the result of keeping fit and working out at a level commensurate with her virtual age.  The measure of her success to her trainer or physician would be her physique.  The measure to my wife was her sense of dominion and drive, mental qualities.

February is National Senior Independence Month, and it goes without question that many “Seniors” are very active and work to keep themselves fit and independent.  Who wouldn’t work to keep themselves active and alert, exemplifying health and freedom from limitations associated with aging?  Sensible diet and exercise are norms today.

The Arizona retirement system provides a program called “Silver Sneakers”, which allows “Seniors” to belong to a gym without charge.  The State asserts that providing this benefit is a savings to health care costs.  Again, the focus may be on maintaining one’s physique but the impetus starts with the motivation to expand one’s life. Maybe it is driven in part by fear of aging and its various claims of decline and disease, but those that I encounter appear to be just as driven by friendships and a sense of community…a gathering youthfulness.

All of this coming together and exercising or engaging in other vigorous activity on the slopes or the bike trail, speak to the individual’s desire to maintain dominion over his or her life, which includes thought and body.  For me, these two things are really one…dominion over my thought results in dominion over my body.  Could the friend I speak of in the first paragraph be exhibiting a life ten years younger than chronological data, if she didn’t first have the thought of pursuing such a goal?  And would she maintain such a regimen if she didn’t find freedom, dominion, and a sense of joy increasing as a result?

If this kind of thought and action brings a change from chronological to virtual age, what kind of change would we begin to see in our life if we moved our thinking from virtual age to agelessness, to a more eternal sense of being.  Where could one begin?  Here is a thought from a book I turn to regularly for inspiration, Science and Health, by Mary Baker Eddy, which states, “Let us…shape our views of existence into loveliness, freshness, and continuity, rather than into age and blight” (p.246).  This sentiment is not new, of course.  There are many Biblical examples of “Seniors” staying fit and expressing the continuity of life.  Abraham and Sarah began a family in their later years (Genesis 18).  Jesus proved life to be eternal and he stated his presence was for us to realize that we could have life more abundantly (John 10:10).

These thoughts crack open the way to move from submitting to chronological age, to understanding that age is governed by our thought, which, with right activity, can progress to virtual age and, ultimately, to a realization that we can live a life of “freshness and continuity”, independent from age generally and the decline with which it is associated.  Go virtual, and then go eternal.

“Whole-body Healing”…Good Step

The Arizona Republic recently ran an article (Friday, January 5, 2013) in its “your health” section entitled, “Whole-body Healing” written by Ken Alltucker.  The article focused on patient centered, integrative medicine.  Good news…the founder of the term “integrative medicine” is in our backyard.  While the field is growing, the term and concept have been developed by Dr. Andrew Weil, who heads the University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine (CIM).  As the article indicates, integrative medicine, while viewed in various ways, can be defined as “the practice of combining conventional medicine with complementary and alternative medical techniques that are supported by medical literature or evidence”.  This is a breakthrough article for this column.

The article further described that the CIM has opened an office in Phoenix, the Arizona Integrative Health Center, which approaches health with the patient at the focus of the practice, rather than the disease.  Then, there are several examples given of work being performed at the Mayo Clinic and by an individual psychiatrist in their respective practices using integrative medicine techniques successfully.  I find all of this encouraging, as it begins to recognize healing as involving a more complete understanding of the whole person as patient.  The examples given demonstrate that solutions emerged when either habits of thinking or acting were corrected, demonstrating the importance of thought on the body and its connection to healing.

One has to appreciate the courage, candor, and clarity shared by Drs. Bergstrom (Mayo), Hernandez (independent psychiatrist), and Rula (medical director of the CIM), as they push the frontiers of their professions into a more holistic frame.  In the article, among the varied healing strategies of patient centered, integrative medicine, there was a brief mention of spiritual well-being as part of the “whole”.  Given that among the stated purposes of the CIM are evidence-based and lower cost methods, spiritual well-being may be key to achieving those goals.

The spiritual basis of healing is perhaps the longest running method in the spectrum of integrative healing, actively utilized well before that term existed.  Not only can we find numerous accounts in Biblical history, especially after the establishment of Christianity, but there is ample evidence today of its efficacy.  My own experience includes healing of pain, viruses, malaria, and many other disorders all through spiritual prayer…prayer that is not wishful thinking or a function of the human brain, but a recognition of divine, loving consciousness, divine Mind, if you will, reflected in our individual thought and lives.  More than a remedy, the advantage of spiritual well-being, is that it includes a fulfilling sense of identity and health for all, without economic barriers.

I like the direction of The Arizona Republic article and hope that the “whole-body” concept continues to expand the role of spiritual well-being.  Perhaps we will learn that it is at the center of our health.  It certainly is for me.

HIV/AIDS

December is International HIV/AIDS awareness month.  I know this, but I’m not sure what I need to be aware of.  I am aware that it is not an easy subject to deal with for many.  I am aware of individuals who have announced publicly that they are victims of this insidious disease. I am aware that, although it is found in most parts of the world including the US, the African Continent and South Asia have had challenges with large segments of their populations being exposed to it, due primarily to historical behaviors and conditions, along with lack of awareness or willingness to change.  I am aware that it is difficult on friends and family, of common or celebrity ilk.

I am also aware of great efforts by both public and private institutions to eradicate the causes of the HIV virus and its frequently ensuing claim of AIDS.  The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, alone, has contributed over $1.3 billion to address AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria in the world along with $ 287 million in HIV research.  I am aware that there have been medical interventions, albeit very costly, that ameliorate the speed and effects of the deterioration of the lives of those infected.  I am aware that there is much education going on with populations around the world to prevent its occurrence.  This special month is part of that education.  My personal awareness of HIV/AIDS ends there.

My personal awareness of another insidious disease, malaria, may have analogous value.  I mentioned in an earlier post on this blog (February 6, 2012, “Defeating Malaria”) that I had been healed of malaria when I was in the Peace Corps in the late sixties, before HIV/AIDS was known (apparently discovered around the mid-seventies).  I was living and teaching in Palawan, when I became delirious.  The symptoms persisted and, as I had done throughout my life, I turned in consciousness to a sense of the presence and power of divine Love, or God as I would know it, and of a more spiritual view of myself than just a mortal out in the jungle of the southwestern Philippines.  Others with this condition had needed to undergo blood transfusions to find cure.  As confirmed by the Peace Corps physician, my encounter with the disease was completely cured without any medical intervention.  This physician had seen both the “before” and “after” of my case.  Another volunteer during the same period underwent the transfusions.  We both survived the disease.

My cure was not a first.  I had looked to earlier examples of the healing of another insidious disease in its day, leprosy.  The master Christian proved that there was a spiritual cure for such diseases.  That was inspiring to me when confronting my own situation.

So, I am aware that there is more than one way to find healing from an infectious or fatal disease.  Perhaps HIV/AIDS International Awareness Month should include a vision of the possible solutions besides those of medical research and consider the evidence to be found in more spiritual proofs.

The root of the health care problem (Published in The Arizona Capitol Times 11-2-12)

By Guest Opinion

 

Published: November 2, 2012 at 9:32 am

More »

Where are we on health care? We have made a political debate out of health care, which exceeds any federal or state government’s capacity to solve. Whatever evolution the remedies take, statutory and regulatory thrusts and parries will be insufficient. Yet, wisdom in the deliberation and passage of such efforts will be required.

Partisan banter must give way to real help. This year, especially, as the state Legislature and regulatory bodies cope with readying Arizona for the continuing implementation of the Patient Protection Affordable Care Act, there is no time for posturing or mere personal self- interest. Too much is at stake. Here’s why.

For perspective, “Escape Fire,” the sparsely released film (soon, more fully so and available now online) shown at the Sundance Film Festival, scopes the magnitude of the health care problem in the United States and promises to set forth some possible solutions. The tenor can be gleaned from the trailer and much information can be gathered from its website http://www.escapefiremovie.com.

A couple of salient and jarring points the film makes: First, American health care costs could be $4.2 trillion annually in six to 10 years, equaling 20 percent of GDP. Second, Americans spend $300 billion a year on pharmaceutical drugs, nearly equal to the expenditure in the entire rest of the world.

One of the players in the film makes a sanguine comment that if she could shape the future of health care, there would be more emphasis on the “care” part. Another player in the film, our own Dr. Andrew Weil, head of the University of Arizona’s Center for Integrative Medicine (CIM), asserts that “the root of the problem” is that “we have a disease-care system, not a health care system.”

The title of the film, “Escape Fire,” gives us a clue as to the ingenuity that will be required to extricate America from its self- created, monopolistic dependency on the current system. In brief, the title refers to smoke jumpers in a forest fire who were left with no escape until one member of the team started a fire in the remaining timber around them, subsequently burning his way out to a ridge. He survived. The others felt the risk was too high and didn’t follow.

They perished.

Addressing health care will require less familiar, broader solutions than what the majority has done for past decades. It will take courage to forfeit the popular, yet limiting, assumptions about our sources of health. We need to change habits of thought that tend to lead unwittingly to the same solutions that have led to the problem.

Fortunately, there are more means of health and care than we find in the mainstream.

Weil’s CIM teaches existing physicians about finding health care solutions through a focus on caring for the person as a whole, rather than just focusing on the malady. Solutions are not limited to surgery and chemistry, but found through the fuller spectrum of health sources, including natural and spiritual methods.

For me, spiritual means have been my main source of health. The primary benefit is that it requires that I take direct responsibility for my health and that I progress in my understanding of how I, and mankind, relate to the divine. It is a view of life — not a pill — that has provided prevention and cure. It is a sense of being loved and cared for as a matter of principle, consistently and completely.

This approach has met my needs, not only with respect to disease but, also, with respect to work, relationships and life direction. It settles fear. There is little or no cost. It is my own escape fire.

I trust that whatever efforts come forth from the Legislature and the agencies will not limit, but rather open up the possibilities for health and care. I trust that these efforts will not confine us to the old, worn, expensive paths to health. Such expansiveness would exemplify care for citizens and prompt creative, more effective solutions.

— Rich Evans, Christian Science Committee on Publication for Arizona.

Damage Control

At this moment, many people are concerned about the well-being of the people on the East Coast of the United States and the impact of Hurricane Sandy.   The flooding is severe and the damage extensive.  The physical power of floods is daunting.

As a college student, I spent time in Italy and happened to be in Florence during the flood of November 1966, when the Arno River overflowed and covered the streets nearest the river in thirty feet of water.  We had been staying in a hotel on the corner where the Ponte Vecchio crosses the Arno.  About 5am calls came to our rooms to ask that we assemble in a lobby on the second floor of the hotel.  We were told to evacuate.  Arrangements had been made at a small hotel deeper and somewhat higher in the city, about ten blocks away.  When we walked out of the hotel after that meeting the water was up to our calves.

Establishing ourselves on the third and fourth floors of the little hotel where we would ride out the flood, we watched the water rise.  We helped the owner barricade his first floor entry.  The water careened down the narrow streets and smelled of petroleum.  It became a highway of rolling cars and packages of Italian made goods…sweaters, carved chess sets, leather-bound books.  The barricade we had constructed submitted to the pressure of the water and the first floor of the hotel quickly filled with turbid, turgid water.  Oil slicks laced the surface that was constantly rising in the streets.  The temperature dropped outside and in.  There was no heat or power and heating fuel tanks burst under the pressure of the floodwaters.

This continued into the night and dark morning hours when the flood began to recede.  Then we heard powered inflatable rafts of the various emergency crews make their way in the dark along the streets to see who or what needed rescuing.  Our great concern moved toward the area we had left the morning before.  The Church of Santa Croce and the Uffizi Gallery, close by the Arno, hold many priceless, early Renaissance art treasures.  When it was possible to walk out of the hotel a couple of us made our way to the Arno and up the hill to Piazza Michelangelo to see if we could secure bottles of fresh water and bring them back to our hotel for the residents.

This is when I saw the real defeat of the flood.  The Ponte Vecchio is a beautiful bridge structure of precious shops displaying and selling artisans’ works of gold, marble inlay, wood, leather, etc.  Entire trees now pierced the shops and the works of these craftsmen were in ruins on the bridge road.  But at either end of the bridge piles were forming.  As each citizen, including us at this moment, walked across the bridge, whatever was found was carefully placed in one of the piles for the artisans to return and claim.  This was the Golden Rule in operation.  People were not pocketing or looting.  They were restoring.  The sense of restoration permeated the city.  Strangers were carrying shovels into shops to help the owners dig out from the mud and debris.  The flood had not only failed to dispirit the people of Florence but had brought to the fore their best of heart.

The pressure of the floodwaters did not lead to depression.  Instead, there dawned a new Renaissance of singleness of purpose, love for one’s sense of place, and unselfed love for one another.  We can expect no less of the East Coast.