Fails to see the world from an upright position.

- Lucy

Day 1:

I meet Helen, the heavy-set donor cadeavor whose tag informs us that she was 84 years old and that she died of cervical cancer. She has been preserved in formaldehyde for about 9 months and is now reborn as a cadeavor at the Institute for Anatomical Enlightenment in Denver, Colorado. She lies completely untouched and we have a lot of work to do over the next 5 days. It takes me and my team of 6 New Yorkers about 8 hours to reflect the skin from the adipose layer all over the entire body save the face and vagina. The high fat content of her body is just dripping with formaldehyde and it’s a messy job. This is my first dissection and I was unsure of the emotional response of this experience - but surprisingly once I get started- I can’t stop. When the day is done and I close my eyes, all I can do is reflect the skin in my head as I pass out on the couch.

Day 2:

If I thought yesterday was messy, today brings way more oozing and a strong smell of formaldehyde. Every part of me reeks of this sweet toxic smell and I can even taste it in my mouth. Luckily the fumes are heavier then air and settle down so I don’t get the headache I’m anticipating. Read the rest of this entry »

This is a great link to a clear and vivid understanding of how fascial adhesions can restrict proper organ function. This is from the Clear Passage Therapies website that has developed manual techniques, called the Wurn Technique, that helps infertility. I’m not sure what this technique entails, but i can attest to the successes of Visceral Manipulation in many areas of the human body. They have locations in California, Florida and Iowa.

Did you know there is a floating island of plastic products in an area of the Pacific ocean known as the North Pacific gyre that is roughly double the size of the state of Texas? From the website mindfully.org: “Atmospheric winds and sluggish currents naturally collect this flotsam, earning it the unfortunate nickname of the “Eastern Garbage Patch”.” Did you know it can take up to a 1000 years for that plastic bag you used to carry home your drinks from the bodega to degrade? The US creates 100 billion plastic bags a year at a cost of 12 billion barrels of oil for about 15 minutes of use. It’s estimated 100,000 marine animals are killed from plastic garbage. That’s just not right. It’s time to get on the new wave of reusable, recyclable bags. Cheap enough to justify, green enough to feel like you are making a difference, and stylish enough to get looks. Globototes is a great new site offering great deals on reusable bags.

Sleeping in complete darkness will help boost the most powerful antioxidant your body can utilize, melatonin. This hormone is released into the blood by the pineal gland based on light-dark cycles. It is also produced in the retina, lens and gastrointestinal tract.

Reduced Melatonin has been linked to increased cancer rates in night-time workers, alzheimers, migraine and cluster headaches, and immune system suppression. The importance of melatonin is not completely understood or fully researched but it’s obvious that we need to do whatever it takes to support its production.

Modern times have illuminated our evenings and allowed us more freedom to work, play, and stay up late. Though this is great for squeezing more out of your day, it is messing up with our circadian rhythm. Here is a test for you: If you are laying in bed going to sleep and you can see the fingers of your outstretched hand once all the lights are turned off - then you could be suppressing your melatonin production as you sleep. Melatonin production peaks about halfway through your sleep cycle before waning off as you wake (and probably as sunlight filters through your blinds). Your room should be dark enough that you can’t see your outstretched hand.

Some might recommend supplements but this seems unnecessary, considering how many pills we already pop. And synthetic drugs seem less superior than natural production. The safe, easy, effective way to increase melatonin is the natural way - sleep in darkness! If you don’t have blackout blinds then use an eye mask. It’s simple, cheap and effective and you can take it off if you need to get up to go to the bathroom or need a late-night snack. But don’t turn on the light! Use a small nightlight in the bathroom or else you might disrupt your melatonin production for that night’s rest.

This is a link for a mac-daddy $25 eye pillow. Or try amazon for a $5 version.

For all you fish connoisseurs out there, here is the Ocean’s Alive eco/health report. Above and beyond the toxins in the fish, I find it difficult to justify farmed fishing with all its inherent ecological impact and ethical ramifications, but the idea of over-fishing is just as appalling. What can a vegaquarian do? Here is the ecological impact report.

Donna Karan’s Urban Zen Initiative is featuring some of the biggest hearts and best minds in integrative medicine. 10 days of non-stop world changing action. I can’t wait. Featuring Dr. Mehmet Oz, Dr. Dean Ornish, Dr. Mark Hyman, Yoga guru’s Richard Freeman and Rodney Yee and many more. Click here for the Urban Zen homepage with the schedule and ticket information.

Oprah did a great job commenting on John Martine’s work. She mentioned twice she wanted to see him backstage after the show to get worked on. Nice. Dr. Oz said he made a “friend for life” when he was getting backwork too. Double nice. But all in all it’s just real sad for all the Structural Integration practitioners doing amazing work in the world and they didn’t get their just mention. Rolfing is Structural Integration as Kleenex is to tissue. Hopefully this will educate everyone. Click here to view it.

Sam Johnson of Dallas, Texas has written a phenomenal detail of Dr. Ida Rolf’s early years. Click here for the full article. He beautifully sums up the limitations of Cartesian Duality and the benefits of treating the body through a Wholistic perspective.

I’ve been using this type of cold laser successfully for almost a year now and thought it was time to spread the word. I’ve put it through rigorous empirical testing - specifically targeting acute and chronic pain sites. Although I also manipulate the connective tissue, possibly skewing the efficacy of the cold laser, I can say for sure that it does reduce pain. I’ve also done isolated testing on myself - and I’m impressed to say the least. In just 6 minutes the sore, tender, painful tissue feels better. Those cool Star Trek healing devices are now available to the public! I guess it’s time to blog to see if it’s worth the steep price -I paid an excrutiating $6000 for a 5 milliwatt laser and one 300 milliwatt probe. Though it is technically an “experimental treatment”, I have yet to charge a fee for using it. And I don’t plan to. So now I will spread the word and say that I can get anyone a discount if they email me directly and I will refer you to a specific online distributor.

I’m under the impression that these lasers work by emitting various resonating wavelengths based on the vibrational frequency of healthy cells - which in turn is based on Royal Rife’s frequency research. Though Rife used radio wave technology, I’m under the impression that laser light can somehow match these patterns. The laser is strong enough to entrain the sick, damaged, dehydrated tissue vibrating at an “unhealthy” frequency back to the frequency that makes healthy tissue healthy. Does this make sense?

Here is an excerpt from a popular laser website:

Healing lasers are often termed low level lasers, cold lasers or soft lasers. This defines them as lower powered or non cutting lasers. Lasers can be very powerful so it is important when purchasing a laser to find one that is effective yet is not too powerful.
Soliton Lasers stimulate glands throughout the body to produce optimal vitality and harmony. Glands are key in the rejuvenation process and work with the lymphatic system to bring the body back into balance.

LASER BENEFITS

Pain Relief Healing Injuries Anti-aging Weight Loss Immune Enhancement
Organ Balancing Glandular Rejuvenation Lymph Activation Chakra Balancing
Nerve Regeneration Laser Acupuncture Laser Facelift

HOW LASERS WORK

Lasers work on the principle of donating energy. This energy, often defined as joules of energy or photons, benefits the cell in numerous ways. It has been found to enhance the electron spin of the cell, which helps the DNA and increases the mitochondrial output of ATP. ATP is the energy of the cell which stimulates cellular rejuvenation. Read the rest of this entry »