I just got back from a much needed vacation to Oahu, Hawaii where my boyfriend’s mom lives. She works for a non-profit called Women in Need (WIN). They are in the running for Pepsi’s Refresh Everything challenge for a $50K grant which would help young adults who are coming out of the foster care system find resources so that they may become independent and successful adults. With recent state cuts to various non-profits statewide in Hawaii, winning this grant would help tremendously! You can help make a difference by voting. It’s very simple to do. You can log in using your Facebook account or other email address, then click vote on the right-hand side. You can vote daily until the end of April.

Thanks for your consideration!

Sincerely,
Alyssa

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Cancer Update from John Hopkins :

1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size.

2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person’s lifetime.

3 When the person’s immune system is strong the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumors.

4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has multiple nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, environmental, food and lifestyle factors.

5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet and including supplements will strengthen the immune system.

6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract etc, and can cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc.

7. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs.

8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumor size. However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor destruction.

9. When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb to various kinds of infections and complications.

10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy. Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites.

11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply.. *CANCER CELLS FEED ON:

• Sugar is a cancer-feeder. By cutting off sugar it cuts off one important food supply to the cancer cells. Sugar substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc are made with Aspartame and it is harmful. ALL DIET CARBONATED DRINKS CONTAIN ASPARTAME AND ARE POISONOUS. A better natural substitute would be Manuka honey or molasses, but only in very small amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in color. Better alternative is Bragg’s aminos or sea salt.
• Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting off milk and substituting with unsweetened soy milk cancer cells are being starved.
• Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little chicken rather than beef or pork. Meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all harmful, especially to people with cancer.
• A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for building healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C).
• Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high caffeine. Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer fighting properties. Water – best to drink purified water, or filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it.

12.. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestive enzymes. Undigested meat, especially pork, remaining in the intestines becomes putrefied and leads to more toxic buildup.

13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the body’s killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.

14. Some supplements build up the immune system (IP6, Flor-ssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, EFAs etc.) to enable the bodies own killer cells to destroy cancer cells.. Other supplements like vitamin E are known to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body’s normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or unneeded cells.

15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit. A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor.. Anger, un-forgiveness and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life.

16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising daily, and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer cells. 1. No plastic containers in micro. 2. No water bottles in freezer. 3. No plastic wrap in microwave. Johns Hopkins has recently sent this out in its newsletters. This information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as well. Dioxin chemicals cause cancer, especially breast cancer. Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies. Don’t freeze your plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic. Recently, Dr. Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Cast le Hospital, was on a TV program to explain this health hazard. He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic containers. This especially applies to foods that contain fat. He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body. Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food. You get the same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something else. Paper isn’t bad but you don’t know what is in the paper. It’s just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc. He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons. Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food. Cover food with a paper towel instead.

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1. What is Qi?

Consumers may be tempted to trim their wellness budgets when economic times are tough. Yet a recent national consumer survey showed most massage-minded Americans are committed to maintaining the health benefits they experience with massage. It makes sense—the better you feel, the better job you can do of caring for yourself and your loved ones.

Massage should play a role in reducing stress and strengthening the health of Americans. When people feel their best, they are more likely to be able to face the challenges difficult times present. With greater health and peace of mind, consumers can face difficulties with poise, clarity of purpose, and strengthened emotional reserves.

Truly, massage is more than a luxury—it’s a vital part of self-care that has a positive ripple effect on us as we work, play, and care for others

Invest in yourself and those you love 

If you think about it, massage is an excellent value. The price of massage has remained stable in recent years, as the cost of movies, dining out, and sports events has risen. Which of these has the power to improve your health and your outlook on life?

In economically challenging times, it is vital to invest in preventative healthcare. The last thing you want is to get sick, have to take time off work, and pay expensive medical bills.

Following are health reasons all American adults should be including massage in their family budgets and schedules. Massage therapy:

• Boosts the immune system.
• Reduces anxiety.
• Reduces the flow of stress hormones.
• Improves sleep.
• Improves energy levels and reduces fatigue.
• Improves concentration.
• Increases circulation.
• Improves self-esteem.
• Reduces frequency of headaches.
• Releases endorphins.

Positive Effects

The positive effects of regular massage can have benefits in many areas of your life.

Home. Massage therapy helps families under stress create healthy households with clear thinking and more relaxed moms and dads. Individuals taking care of themselves are better equipped to be responsive caregivers who can provide a sense of security—to children, partners, aging parents, or other family members.

Work. The health benefits of massage can help forestall illnesses and lost work time, especially when  you may be asked to produce more with fewer resources. Decision-making skills will be better and your performance is likely to be improved with a clear focus and more energy. A hint for the boss: Research shows employees exhibit improved performance and less stress when given twice-weekly, 15-minute massages in the office.

Health. Those with existing health conditions can continue to reap benefits in the following ways. Proactively caring for health through massage may help reduce costly doctor visits and use of prescription and over-the-counter medications.

Research Shows

• Massage can reduce sports-related soreness and improve circulation—good to know when you may be exercising  more to reduce stress.
• Deep-tissue massage is effective in treating back pain, and arthritis. 
• Fibromyalgia patients receiving massage have less pain, depression, anxiety, stiffness, fatigue, and problematic sleep.
• Massage reduces symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.
• Oncology patients show less pain, fatigue, nausea, anxiety, and depression following massage therapy.
• Stroke patients show less anxiety and lower blood pressure with massage therapy.

• Massage therapy is effective is reducing post-surgical pain.

•  Alzheimer’s patients exhibit reduced pacing, irritability, and restlessness after neck and shoulder massage.
• Massage during labor appears to reduce stress and anxiety, relax muscles, and help block pain. Massage may also

reduce tearing, shorten labor, reduce the need for medication, and shorten hospital stays.

• Preterm babies receiving massage therapy gain more weight and have shorter hospital stays than infants not
receiving massage.
• Massage is beneficial in reducing symptoms associated with arthritis, asthma, burns, high blood pressure, and premenstrual syndrome.

To learn more about the many types and benefits of massage and bodywork, visit www.massagetherapy.com.

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Qi—you can’t see, taste, smell, or hear it, but you can feel it. During acupuncture, Qi can be experienced as a deep ache, warm tingling, or a swirling and radiating sensation. While performing Qi Gong or Tai Chi, it may develop a magnetic quality that emulates pulling. If you’re really tuned in to Qi, you may even be able to sense the Qi emanating from within others. But let’s not get too heady, just yet.

It may seem like a “way-out” concept beyond conditioned Western reasoning.

Qi: Lifeforce

According to traditional Chinese beliefs, Qi is the kinetic life force that is the basis of all phenomena in the universe. The body and mind are a vortex of energy with vital substances interacting with each other to form an organism. At the basis of all is Qi, an energy that manifests simultaneously on a physical and spiritual level. When you take a deep breath, Qi expands the lungs and fills them with energy. During an exhalation, Qi circulates throughout the body and some of it is released into the air.

Qi and Massage

While receiving Tui Na therapeutic massage or other forms of Asian bodywork, you may notice a release and unfolding of tension and knots as the Qi courses through the body. This is the effect of your own Qi in dynamic flow, intentionally combined with the Qi of your practitioner as she performs the work. The circulation of Qi from person to person and from a person to the environment reveals the interconnectedness of all things and can evoke a profound sense of physical and spiritual awakening in even the most skeptical types.

The Functions of Qi

The main functions of Qi involve transforming, transporting, holding, protecting, raising and warming. According to Chinese medicine, Qi moves the blood throughout the body. When you work out, fresh blood circulates throughout your system, warming you from head-to-toe. Qi also moves with the blood, ensuring a continual supply of energy to the organs and muscles. Without the movement of Qi, the flow is obstructed, often leading to pain. This is summed up by the traditional Chinese adage Bu tong ze tong, tong ze bu tong, which means “free-flow, no pain; no free flow, pain.”

Basically, we need Qi in order to survive:

• Qi flow is imperative to avoiding pain, stagnation, or blockages in the organs.
• It can also support weakened organs, as in prolapse of the spleen caused by enlargement and disease.
• Qi is the force behind digestion, transforming food into energy while helping to eliminate waste.
• In addition, external Defensive Qi, Wei Qi, protects us against external pathogens like the flu and the common cold.

You don’t have to believe in any specific deity to believe in Qi, and you don’t have to see it to know it’s there. Although it may seem like a “way-out” concept beyond conditioned Western reasoning, Qi exists. And it is working for you and all around you. Cultivating an awareness of Qi, like developing a meditative practice, may take time. But in the mean time, it is fascinating to ponder that the existence of an invisible force defying scientific explanation can actually sustain our lives. It’s a pretty amazing mystery.

¹Maciocia, Foundations of Chinese Medicine

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