Riding the Rails in 2010

Ok, do I have to admit that the last time I took a long train trip was back in the 60s? Back when everyone on the train seemed to have an exciting place to go and the good health needed to get them there? Wow.......... was this an eye-opening adventure this go-round!

There were four parts to this trip for me. First was the ride from New Mexico to southern California, which took approximately 16 hours including delays. On this part of the journey I was alone, seated next to a young woman who has been on her particular cancer drug for the better part of five years. It has blown her body up about 40 pounds from her normal weight. She needs two canes to be able to walk around. She was on her way to visit relatives who were all dying from cancer, and she knew it would be the last time she would see them. Seated within hearing distance of us were approximately 16 other people. Most of them shared their horror stories about what their doctor was currently 'making' them take for their ailments. They were all giving thanks that they had health insurance to cover their drug needs.

Once I arrived in southern California I had the opportunity to spend time with some family and friends for two days before heading out on the next portion of the trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco. The rains over the past month turned the coast into a magnificent green filled with breathtakingly lush scenery, both on the coastal and inland sides. My dad and sister were with me on this 11.5 hour trip. Seated in front of my sister and me were another set of sisters, around the same age as the two of us. They were both suffering from cancer and severe forms of debilitating arthritis. Across from them were a couple with their health problems which they openly discussed with most of the passengers - cancer and diabetes. They brought food with them on the train -- prepackaged crackers and cheeses, sweet rolls, candy bars, beef jerky, and some sandwiches prepared with white bread and lunch meats.

My dad and sister and I spent time in Oakland and San Francisco with cousins we hadn't seen in years, and some whom we hadn't even met until this past weekend. We had a great visit and took some wonderful hikes through wooded parks and trails in Oakland hills. When we all got together for a big brunch, it included oranges, apples, grapes, numerous salads, fish, omelettes filled with fresh organic vegetables and spices, fresh-baked whole-grain bread and a poppyseed cake. I can't remember the rest, but there wasn't much that wasn't healthful there. Almost everyone present wanted to take a long walk after the brunch to work off the big meal. Only one of the group was overweight, and he is almost 91 years old. One friend of my cousin stopped by and explained that his wife (in her early 60s) wasn't able to make it because her hips hurt so much she could barely walk. He was thanking God for his health insurance that he and his wife rely on for everything they need -- and they both are on several medications that they swear by [she takes 12 for her 'conditions.'] My knees went weak when he told me his insurance with Kaiser didn't even include dental, and he pays $700 per month each for him and his wife for standard insurance. Yeah, that adds up to $1,400 per month for insurance. No wonder everyone feels they have to visit their doctors so their insurance payments don't go to waste.

OMG, is everyone being insured that they'll need this insurance by having it? What ever happened to the concept of creating health assurance by taking care of your health?

Ok, onward and back to Los Angeles region............ we returned from Oakland, CA after three wonderful days with extended family. Another train, another group of woe-is-me passengers, a few more delays and another 14 hours. Across from my sister and me once again were another couple of sisters; one who proudly told everyone who would listen that she is a spokesperson for a pharmaceutical company and is famous since she has made commercials for them for YouTube. She claims she's still alive because she takes the drug. Her sister, younger by about 10 years, is simply suffering from obesity (as is the self-proclaimed famous drug promoter), and must use a walker to get around for her severe arthritis (in her early 40s). They brought along their own foods -- candy bars, canned sodas, prepackaged junk foods galore, footlong sandwiches filled with lunch meats, and these were called their 'health foods.' Behind us was a woman who was in her mid-fifties, weighing in around 500 pounds (she took up most of both seats). However, a man in ill health grabbed what he thought was the last seat next to her, not caring that his sister, who could barely walk with severely swollen knees [in stage-4 cancer], had nowhere to sit in our coach. They had just come back from saying goodbye to their younger sister who was dying from cancer and they expected by the time they reached their destination to hear she had passed.

One more day spent in Orange County, CA and I boarded the train back to New Mexico for another 14 hours. This time a family of 12 boarded with me in the coach where I rode and they brought with them a great grandma, a grandpa and his wife, their two daughters, one with a husband and two children of her own, and some nieces. Lovely family. Healthy, no. Diabetes, obesity, allergies, severe rheumatoid arthritis - they had it all. And what did they eat? Sweet rolls, candy bars, sodas, coffee with artificial sweeteners (Equal & Sweet & Low). Those of you in the know DO know that when you eat empty, artificial sweeteners like Splenda, Equal or Sweet & Low that you are bound to gain weight, right? If you don't know about that, and believe these products help you lose weight, think again. Do your research. It's one of the typical cons put out by the greedy companies that care not one iota about your health, but definitely about the bottom $$$ line.

If ever I wondered if we are truly what we eat, drink and what drugs we take, I don't have to wonder any more after riding the rails for 4 days. But look around you at the deterioration of our health and our society. You don't need to be riding the rails to see it.

What to Put in Your Health Chest?

At one of my recent health-maintenance seminars I was asked what a family ought to have in their medicine chest. I prefer to call it a 'health chest.' The tools I keep in my health chest are pretty much what I consider necessary for an emergency survival kit as well as everyday use items.

In case of a bad bruise or injury not involving broken skin, arnica is the answer, both in topical application and internally as a homeopathic remedy. Never have I seen anything work faster or better than simple arnica. A formula that is a combination of several homeopathic remedies is called Traumeel, and is used topically and internally as well. Obviously both are separate applications; one is an ointment or gel, and the other is in tablet, pellet or liquid form when taken internally.

For burns or cuts, calendula is a gentle, soothing topical application that helps heal the injury much faster and more effectively than most commercial drugstore products. It is commonly used in natural lotions for moistening and healing the skin.

Something every household needs to learn how to make is a combination of kitchen foods that are combined in the blender. I call the formula Power Tonic. You can mix it at home and call it whatever you wish, but make it! It can help give you energy, kill the flu or a cold in record speed, open up the sinuses and help heal sinus infections, and increase circulation for the entire cardiovascular system. The recipe can be found at http://www.bastis.org/recipes.htm.

Have you ever heard of noni juice? You might have heard from a friend who tried to sell you on the multi-level-marketing noni juice filled with other less expensive juices, but there's much more to noni than that, folks! A full article filled with information can change your mind about something you might have thought was not for you -- read on at http://www.bastis.org/noni.htm. Although it's not in a medicine chest or a 'health chest,' it is always most definitely in my refrigerator. It's a must I will never be without!

Another incredibly useful and vital nutrient also used externally is coconut oil. That's right. Coconut oil. Not the hydrogenated kind that is bad for you, but the virgin, delicious and fantastically nutritious kind of coconut oil that can save your life! Not only do the humans in our home ingest this wonderful oil daily, as well as cook with it, but so do all the animals. So much information about this amazing 'stuff' that I have to refer you once again to an easy-to-read article at http://www.bastis.org/coconut.htm. Please take the time to gather the information in the article. It could be something you or your family is needing right now.

The very hottest cayenne pepper you can possibly find is something that can help you survive a heart attack if you take it while in the throes of the heart attack. One of the most synergistic herbs on the planet (and one of the hottest!), it can help thin the blood and cauterize a wound. Truly a miracle herb. More at http://www.bastis.org/cayenne.htm. I always have both the liquid form and powdered; the powdered being used on food and in case of an injury. The liquid form is preserved in raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar. Recipe at http://www.bastis.org/recipes.htm. I find it very empowering to make these things yourself and realize you are helping control your own health.

Digestion is of paramount importance, especially if you tend to eat a less than healthful diet, which can cause heartburn and indigestion. In the event of uncomfortable bloating I always have another formula on hand that we make in our own kitchen. I call my version DigestEase. You can make it in your blender and call it whatever you want. Recipe at http://www.bastis.org/recipes.htm.

One more thing in our health chest that I would never want to be without is concentrated green food. So many combinations are on the market today, including Green Vibrance, and a whole host of other producers. Way too much info to post here; please read at http://www.bastis.org/greens.htm for more information.

Those are the basics. If you have any other questions about what else might be important for a natural kit, other than the obvious items including bandaids and hydrogen peroxide, please feel free to email me at bera@singingdoctor.com and I'll be happy to answer your questions!

Oh yeah, one more thing............ a big, happy smile will go a long way toward healing any crisis.

Play God? Not Me.

Dogs. I can't imagine my life without them. They're a blessing with their unconditional love and they only ask the same from us. The more time I spend with them the more important it is to me to be able to read them and their needs. My husband and I only rescue special-needs dogs -- those who are blind and/or deaf, diabetic, physically handicapped or challenged, puppy-mill dogs who have been abused and terrified most of their lives and who have endured grave illnesses.

Once you come to my home you get to live here as long as you want, if you have fur. Since my 'babies' aren't considered prime pups, they are often looked at as less than desirable. Our 15-year-old diabetic lhasa apso has seizures and is quite weak, but his spirit is so strong. He's given me no indication that he's ready to leave us yet, and we do everything in our power to make him comfortable and take care of his needs. Much of his life has been about adversity, the same as our other rescues. Yet recently someone told me I was cruel to keep him around, that he is suffering because he has seizures and since I have a choice as to what to do with him, I should 'put him out of his misery.'

Put this guy out of his misery?

I am not God. Nor will I play that role unless he speaks to me very clearly about not wanting to be here on earth any more. To determine that it's time to end a dog's life without his or her permission feels just plain wrong. In spite of physical pain they suffer, which we do our best to alleviate with remedies and massage, their zest for life and sharing love with us is so much more powerful than their desire to end a life that's so short anyway.

Seven months ago one of our dogs started going downhill and having seizures. We needed to increase his insulin and change some of the remedies we were giving him. Because it has meant that there are times I am not available to go places with friends, I have been told that I'm wasting my time, etc. I no longer spend much time speaking with that person. The life granted this little one is precious enough that I believe it is important to do what's possible to increase the quality of his life. With dietary changes, being a little more responsible about keeping the 12-hour span between insulin shots close to the 12-hour mark, and adding some choline to the diet, seizures have decreased and energy has increased. The tail is higher, the leg lifts now when he pees, which he couldn't do a couple of months ago, and his bark is the loudest when the food is being prepared. His blind and deaf sister, who used to bark loudly in the middle of the night, allowing us to get very little sleep, is also taking the choline and hasn't barked in the night for several weeks.

Play God? Not me.

Farrah's Story

Last May 2009 I taped "Farrah's Story" before she passed away. However, I was so concerned that all the 'alternative' treatments she received in Germany would just poo-poo our belief in holistic medicine that I was discouraged from watching it until this past week. What an eye opener. She kept saying to her friend that was filming it (Alana Stewart?) that she wanted the cameras to keep rolling, in spite of the horrors she was experiencing, because she wanted everyone to know the truth about cancer and its realities.

Yes, cancer is a horrific reality. But the commonly prescribed treatments are far more horrific than the disease. And Farrah's treatment regimen was the worst. She received scads of chemotherapy followed by radiation, over and over, time and time again. Then, surprise, surprise, her immune system was so wiped out that she had nothing left to fight with when the tumors grew back (surprise surprise!). When she asked doctors why they don't just cut out the new tumors, they responded by explaining to her that she basically had no vital organ strength left and that they had somewhat turned to mush, so she wouldn't be able to withstand more surgical removal of tumors.

This beautiful, vibrant, loving woman was reduced to a guinea pig by our medical establishment just like any other person who gives in to conventional medicine without first turning to strengthening the immune system. It really made me sad to learn that she didn't arm herself with knowledge first, so she could find alternative methods to live rather than die so young.

Knowledge really is power. Applied knowledge is even more powerful. Knowing your choices is so important, not when it's too late, but now. If you haven't read my book "I Have a Choice?!" please pick up or order a copy and arm yourself with knowledge before it's too late.

Be blessed and be healthy.
Bera

OMG, where'd 2009 go? I was so busy doing everything but blogging that I missed nearly two entire years. And there's so much to talk about.

Where do we start? First, happy 2010, and I don't mean two thousand ten, since I've been recently told that this is politically incorrect......... rather, happy twenty ten! That taken care of, now let us proceed to the news.

For those of you who ask, yes, we still have our precious little rescues, from those without sight to those who have diabetes to those who have less than perfect little legs, or bladder stones, or deafness or seizures............ which means that we humans never get out of the "pen" together.

We still look forward to building our special-needs sanctuary and expect to start the work on it this year. Of course we're still doing other construction projects as well, which is how we feed our rescues.

This last year has been, like all other years, especially educational. Living through losses continues to be a challenge. One from which we're willing to learn, since that is how we can continue to grow.

This year has already been eye opening and promises to be a great year. There's so much I want to share with you regarding our extended use of noni juice, coconut oil and vitamin D3, which I will do in my next blog.

There's also some new music coming out; for you jazz lovers, I'm writing lyrics for Lanny Aplanalp, a very fine saxophonist and composer, and we look forward to putting together an album later this year.

Now, however, it's time to vent frustrations and kick in a few walls. Oh, all right, we're doing demo work and you gotta tear down the walls to put up new ones. No violence involved, at least not unnecessary violence.

Talk with you soon. I'd love to hear from you, and if you have any info you want me to post regarding specific foods or supplements that I might have knowledge about, I'll be happy to lead you in the right direction.

Have a great day and b-r-e-a-t-h-e.......................... :-)