Contact: Cassandra Freeman                                                                                      IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tel: 770-916-4503

cfreeman@uhs-pruitt.com

United Hospice Continues to Hold Hands through Complimentary Therapy Programs and Training

Cobb County, GA (August 2009) – Even with talk of a raging flu this year, United Hospice is not afraid to hold hands. 

United Hospice is offering training in hand massage, aromatherapy, and Healing Touch Therapy in its Complementary Therapy Programs.  The program is open to all members in the community interested in becoming hospice volunteers-free of charge. 

“Touch” is the theme present in the complimentary therapies that are part of the care to terminally ill patients at United Hospice. “Curing is different from healing,” says Dawn M. Peralta, RN, Certified Healing Touch Practitioner and Certified Hospice and Palliative Care nurse on staff at United Hospice.  While medicine has its importance, therapeutic tools encourage an interactive intervention designed to promote healing.

Studies on the effects of touch show mood change, reduced stress, reduced pain, bonding between a parent and child, and in itself, is a form of communication. While giving a hand massage, caregivers often find that they understand patients better.

 “Understanding the power of touch is important to the way we deliver care,” says Cassandra Freeman, Administrator, “We can’t be afraid to hold the hands of our patients and families especially during this journey in their lives.”

            The Complimentary Therapy Volunteer Program will be offered monthly starting October 2009 in Austell, GA. For more information or to become a hospice volunteer, please call 770-916-4503.

ARE YOU LISTENING?

What will it take to make you listen to the voice of your own soul? To make you tune into your wants and needs? How many sleepless nights must you stay awake to unfold the great mystery from within?

There is a small whisper of a voice that is wanting and needing to be listened to. There is a voice of love and compassion that wants to sing out loud ~ without suppression. It is time for the voice to be heard, to be listened to, to be honored and acknowledged as the voice of your own soul. Now is the time that you must stop tricking yourself into believing that you are the one in total control of your life when, in reality, there is a wounded and hurt part of you that is screaming to be let out, that is tired of you marching to the same drummer. Maybe you’re aware of this small voice that shouts out in anger as it can no longer tolerate living a life of business as usual.

So stop it. Stop it now. Don’t head to the same old nonsense. Try being sick of it because, believe me, that part of you is probably sick of you and some of the repetitive lies and stories that you continue to swim in each day. You might ask, How do I swim in them each day? You wake up and say “I am not going to eat so much, spend so much, procrastinate so much, or tolerate the suppression.” You must allow your soul and the highest aspect of yourself to take control of your life. Tough love is what we’re calling on here. When you are tempted to follow the path of your wounded self, you must say, “Stop it! I can’t listen to your nonsense one more day.” Remember, you’re the parent now.

Now is the time to get out of the pool of the past. Now is the time for change, to wake up and smell the rose scent of a greater reality. Now is the time to give yourself permission to decipher the language of your higher calling. You are loved, you are cared for, you are important and you have a special purpose here on earth. Now is the time to confront the shadows that keep you behind the prison walls. Set yourself free. You have the key. Now open the door.

Your Weekly Shadow Work

(1) Make a list of all the places you’re tolerating mediocrity and can’t take it anymore.

(2) Spend five minutes in the morning and five minutes in the evening calling forth and listening to the voice of your own soul.

(3) Study, train, read, watch The Shadow Effect and be open to thoughts and ideas that you’ve never had before. Trust your instincts, take a risk and make high choices.

Before I share this let me just tell you a little side story. It may not make alot of sense right now, but after you read my sister’s speech it will make perfect sense. Coming home from a doctor’s appointment with my Dad he was extremely anxious (and that can not come close to describing these experiences of going from Dr. to Dr.)  he told me, “I wish Bill was here” (This was when Uncle Bill had moved to Florida). I said, “Why?” He said he gave me the best advise ever…”Don’t let em get ya down Man, if they think you’re crazy, let them think that…Shit, tell em your batman”.  We laughed together, something that rarely happened anymore. Then he said, “Man, I Miss him.”  Little did we know how those words would echo in our minds through the coming days, months and years. So here’s my sister’s story. I’m not going to correct the grammer and such, as I said it was a speech and it is the message that is most important. Life’s too short to worry about proper punctuation and capitalization.

“I am only eighteen years old, and only have a couple meaningful life lessons under my belt. I know I have a million more to learn and grow from in my lifetime. But up unto this point, one sticks out in my mind- Just relax, and tell ‘em you’re batman. You’re probably thinking I’m crazy, but its this small bit of advice that has gotten my family through the past 3 or 4 years.

          Up until February of 2005, me and my family had no major problems, we were happy, and got along, and life was good. But then, my dad got hurt in an accident at the coal mine and suffered serious brain injury. He is able to function- walk and talk, which the doctors said he is extremely lucky for because he is lucky to even be alive.  However, he cannot handle any sort of stress, he cannot control his emotions, and he has memory loss. Since the accident, the doctors are to this day trying to regulate his medicines to control his moods without making him a total zombie.

          The first year after the accident was horrible. My mom and I were trying to adjust to dads out of control mood swings, and my mom and dad were trying to adjust to only one income coming into the household. I didn’t do so well with the whole adjusting to the mood swings thing. I couldn’t understand that it wasn’t my dad’s fault, so when he would yell, I’d yell back, and we only fed each other’s fire. Mom would try to referee but, it would only bring her into the fight, too. Before long, we didn’t speak to each other. Because I didn’t speak with my parents, I rebelled against them. The fighting eventually led to me being arrested, spending a night in Lincoln, and serving 6 months of supervised probation, all at the age of 15. I had started considering moving to New Jersey to live with my sister when my Uncle bill had fallen on some hard times and had no place to go, and he came to live with me and my parents.

          Now, for me to completely explain my Uncle Bill would be impossible, because, well, he was a character.  He loved life, and no one was going to make him feel any different about it. No matter what was thrown at him, he shrugged it off, and if it bothered him, I never noticed. He was always up for a good time.  It didn’t even take a week of Uncle Bill living in our basement to notice a change in the atmosphere around the house. That feeling that everyone needed to walk on egg shells was gone. Dad wasn’t someone I had to avoid to escape a fight. You could usually just find him and Uncle Bill out in the yard, drinking a beer or two. I remember one day me and my mom came home to find Uncle Bill stomping through Mom’s flower garden and dad out in the yard with a shotgun. They were determined that a rat was in there, and they were going to get it out. It was the little moments like these that would just make us all laugh again.

          The first time I heard that important piece of advice, it was after one of dad’s doctor’s appointments. I was out in the yard sitting with uncle bill when dad came home. I knew it hadn’t gone so great, because in the year or two after the accident, I don’t think the doctors even knew what to make of it. This is when I normally would have ran for cover to avoid a fight, but uncle bill was there, so I stuck around. Dad sat down and said, “I don’t know, I think they just think I’m crazy” and uncle bill said “just relax, and tell ‘em your batman” Me and my dad were both confused. Uncle Bill explained, ”just relax, have a good time, and if they think you’re crazy, let them.” This little piece of advice stuck with me and my dad. Me and my dad even started to spend time together again. He would take me out in his truck and just let me drive, so that when I turned 16, I would be able to get my license. He also would take me down to our property on stalls run to ride four wheelers with my friends, I think mostly so him and uncle bill could sit at the camp for a change of scenery.

          Uncle Bill lived with us for about a year, and then he moved to Florida. Even with him gone, the atmosphere stayed pretty pleasant around our house, and plus, he would always stop in for a week or two for a visit. On one visit, he wasn’t feeling well, and we made him go to the hospital to get himself checked out. They found that his heart wasn’t functioning as well as it should, and they told him if he didn’t stop drinking and smoking, he would die. Even with the doctors warning, Uncle Bill kept his happy-go-lucky attitude with life. There was absolutely no regret in his voice when he told us “hell with that, if I die, I’m going to die having a good time”. Not long after he had moved to Florida, though,  Uncle Bill was killed in a motorcycle accident.

          After Uncle Bill’s death is when I looked back and realized how much he had taught me without ever trying. You are not guaranteed tomorrow. You have to go out and have fun and live you’re life on your terms while you have the chance. You only have one life, so you better live it, and even if people think you’re crazy for living the way you want- just relax, and tell ‘em you’re batman.”                                 -Emily Nicole Coffield 2008

Handwashingis the single most effective defense against the spread of germs. And handwashing is an art. It is not simply slipping your hands under water and rinsing them. I do not recommend anti-bacterial soap. The most important part of handwashing is friction and adequate water and soap. Place clean, dry paper towels near sick and turn water on. Take off all rings and jewlery. Wet hands add soap and lather for at least 15-20 seconds. (A trick I was taught in nursing school was to say one Hail Mary or to sing Row, Row, Row Your Boat.) Wash the front and back of your hands, between your fingers and under your nails. Rinse your hands well under warm running water, holding your hands down and letting the water run from your wrists down your hand and off your fingers pulling germs with the lather and down the drain. Dry them completely with a clean towel.  Throw that one away and use a clean dry paper towel to turn off the water and then throwing it away. I also use a paper towel to open public bathroom doors. 

     Some donts about handwashing: Don’t use bar soap, use liquid. Don’t use a hand towel, use disposable paper towels.  Don’t wash or rinse your hands in standing water.                       

If you can not wash your hands you can use hand sanitizing gel. However, I only use a natural product Thieves Hand Gel from Young Living. Note that hand gels have a high alcohol content and are not recommended for young children.

Remember prevention is the best medicine. Get adequate sleep, eat a healthy balanced diet and avoid others with know illness or symptoms. However, I have found some immune-boosting products. I use these immediately at the first sign of symptoms. I also use them twice daily when someone in my household is ill to prevention.   The most important part of using these is getting them started early AT THE 1ST SIGN OF SYMPTOMS. I keep them on hand for when they are needed.               

One my newest finds is Oscillococcinum http://oscillo.com/. I used this a few months ago for my daughter. One vial on the tongue every 3 hours, she had full-blown symptoms and woke up the next day symptom free. And I used twice daily and never developed any symptoms.

Some of my old stand-bys  for boosting the immune system are

Airborne http://airbornehealth.com/index.php. I have written about this in past posts. 

Vitamin C (1000mg/day) along with Ecchinacia (according to package directions)

Thieves Young Living Essential Oil. I place this on the bottoms of my feet. The bottoms of the feet have many pores and absorb the oil easily. There is a story behind this name. Body robbers were caught during the times of the Black Plague and the King wanted to know why they were not contracting the Plague. So he agreed to spare their lives in exchange for the ‘secret’. The body thieves were using a blend of essential oils that allowed them to hand the diseased bodies, and not contract the Plague. This blend of oils creates YL’s Thieves oil.

Just today I was talking with another holistic nurse about this Swine Flu buzz. She recommended Colloidal Silver and Cell/Tissue Salts. Colloidal Silver was used prior to the development of Pennicillins and anti-biotics. Cell or Tissue Salts are a homeopathic medicine. I have not used these products. However, am thankful for her passing along the information to me and would like to do the same.

Remember to always consult your healthcare provider. For more information on the oils please visit https://www.youngliving.org/anewdawn

1. Try everything twice. On Madams tombstone (of Whelan’s and Madam) she said she wanted this epitaph: Tried everything twice. . .loved it both times!

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down. (keep this in mind if you are one of those grouches)

3. Keep learning: Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain get idle. ‘An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.’ And the devil’s name is Alzheimer’s!

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath. And if you have a friend who makes you laugh, spend lots and lots of time with HIM/HER.

6. The tears happen: Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. LIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love: Whether it’s family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don’t take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next country, to a foreign country, but NOT to where guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity. I LOVE YOU!

11. Forgive not those who made you cry. You might not get a second time. Lost time can never be found.

12. Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

And Mom added one more that has been one of the biggest lessons in my life and one that I remind myself on almost a daily basis

        ” & Remember: If it is not your bag – - – Don’t touch it”

That advice stems from a horoscope that came right at the needed time. I have a tendency to want to “fix” everything and everyone–even when they don’t want to be fixed. I Can’t remember the entire thing word for word but the jist of it is “Everyone is carrying baggage. At the same time everyone is responsible for their own baggage. You need to understand that if it’s not your bag to carry or be concerned about-don’t touch it”.  I LOVE YOU, MOM.

Have a wonderful, love- filled week All!

Body-Get the Right amount of sleep. Many of us fit sleep in to our schedule and really we should be setting our schedule around our sleep. Most do not realize how important the right amount of sleep really is or that each of us needs a different amount to function at our optimal best. It is easy to get into a pattern of under or over sleeping and both can be harmful to your health. While every person’s sleep needs are different, it is very important to be completly honest with yourself and aware that you aren’t fooling yourself because it’s convenient. I have heard people say that ‘I only need 4 hours of sleep’. I don’t really believe that statement.  Consistent lack of sleep can create numerous symptoms such as chronic headaches, ADHD symptoms, depression, anxiety, just to name a few. Also, are you aware that people who sleep excessively have a higher rate of certain cancers? There is alot of great information on sleep at www.sleepfoundation.org. There you can also find a list of tips to get a good night’s sleep.  You may not even be aware that you have a sleep issue. There are stages of the sleep cycle. If you are not getting to certain stages of the sleep cycle it’s almost as if you are not sleeping at all.  Have you ever had a morning when you wake up feeling just as tired as the night before. This may be the explaination. Sweet dreams!

Mind-our minds are constantly running. One of the most important things I practice daily is quieting my mind. There was a picture hanging on the wall at the therapists office years ago that helped me to begin my healing journey. I have studied this saying for years and actually two copies hanging in my home.

“Listening to your heart, finding out who you are is not simple.  It takes time for the chatter to quiet down.  In the silence of ‘not doing’ we begin to know what we feel.  If we listen and hear what is being offered, then anything in life can be our guide.  LISTEN.”

Have you ever tried to pay attention or listen in a room full of chatter and noise. I can’t do it. I am too easily distracted. The same is true with the inner chatter of my mind. It is important to work on quieting that chatter. I do this by trying to spend just 5 min. morning and night just being, not thinking.  I try to ‘see’ a picture/color/word in my mind, such as seeing the word QUIET or PEACE, every time I find myself thinking of something I come back to the picture and imagine the thought either floating away on a stream or flying away in a balloon. This is a very difficult thing to do, believe it or not. Another easier way which I started out is using a guided meditation CD.  I would listen at bedtime and more times than not fell asleep. But that’s ok, our brains are not sleeping even though our bodies are. There are many out there, one of my favorites is Sands of Time by my dear friend, Mirabai Galashan http://www.mirabaigalashan.com/audio_cds.html.

Spirit-Forgiveness can actually have health benefits &  is very freeing to the spirit.  We have all needed to practice the art of forgiveness whether it be to the person that cut us off in traffic or the parent who sexually abused their own child. Hanging onto anger, hurts, grudges etc. can actually lead to high blood pressure, depression, heart disease. There are studies out there that prove this. Forgiveness can be very, very difficult to put it mildly. I feel very strongly about this. As a hospice nurse for many years, I have witnessed several people waiting until the end of their life to forgive past hurts. My heart aches because lost years of not talking can not be gotten back. And there is often soo much regret for hanging on to what turns out to be minor slights in the large scheme of things. I say we really need to look at this before our life is flashing before our eyes.  Just sit with this idea for awhile. I would like to revisit this later. But in the mean time try practicing this for the next week. I am working on this myself through the advise I received just last night on a teleclass called “Get Clear Energy & Intuition Class” with Vanessa Smith http://www.integrativewellnessworks.com/get-clear-intuition-energy-program-.html. I will leave you with this thought to share with yourself…..

“I love myself.  I forgive myself.  I set myself free.”

Body-this is a great energy boost I found in a teen magazine 20+ years ago. Fill the tub with really warm/hot water & soak for 10-15 minutes. Now drain out about 1/2 of the water and refill with luke warm water. Mix the water as it’s refilling. Something I’ve used lately to add more punch to this is adding essential oils. My favorite for increasing energy are a few drops of peppermint and a few drops of lemon. Remember, oil and water do not mix. You will need something to help integrate the oil into the bath. This can be done by first putting the oil drops in Epsom salt, milk or honey then adding to running water.

Mind-Last week we worked on truly looking into our eyes and speaking nicely to ourselves. If you were like me, this simple act can be very profound. I would like you to really pay attention to the self-talk you are using this week. Pay attention to “the voices” in your own mind. The first step is becoming aware. You may be surprised to realize how we talk negatively to ourselves each day. Now imagine your mind is tape recorded messages. When you find yourself saying something negative like “You can’t do that”. I want you to stop, rewind the tape and replace the negative with a positive. So you would say to yourself as soon as you become aware of the negative thought, “Stop. Rewind. You can do anything you choose to do.”

Soul-Use music to soothe your soul. Music can have a profound effect on the mood. I witnessed this first hand when working in hospice care. We provided CD players and CDs to almost all of our patients because soothing music had the power to stop the stress/pain cycle. So when you feel like changing your mood use music. Play 15 minutes of music to match your mood, then switch to music that matches the mood you want to achieve. For example, you come home from work exhausted put on some slow soft music (elevator-type music) while sitting in your favorite chair. Now put some upbeat, make-you-wanna-dance music & play for 30 minutes. Sing out loud and dance if the mood strikes. This will give you a nice boost.

Hope you find these tips helpful. Remember to always use therapeutic grade essential oils. Call your Young Living Distributor or contact me at ( 678 ) 877-7906 or dawn@findwellnesswithin.com for information on where to get your oils.

drinking more water

 stretching

breathing

laughing

connecting with friends &

finding something you’re passionate about and getting in the game

Pretty simple, right? I don’t know about you but it has really made an impact on my life in the past few weeks.  I’m feeling more positive and optimistic. If you haven’t been doing these things but want to –”just do it” like the saying goes. Just jump in. This week’s tips have been swirling around in my head for several days. Here they are:

Body-try to eat 5 servings of fruits & veggies every day. This is a big one. You probably will be surprised how few servings you are actually getting. The American Cancer Society had a campagn a few years back-”5 to stay Alive”. This will help you feel more alive, healthy, more full & satisfied and help to cut down on the processed foods you are probably eating too much of.

Mind-another Big one here. Now, I think your first thoughts will be, “how corny” but trust me here. At Least ONCE A DAY when you are looking at your reflection in a mirror, I want you to really look into your own eyes and say, ” I Love You, (insert your name here)”. This will feel very awkward at first, but what can it (giving it a shot) hurt? It can be a very profound experience & may show you just how hard you are on yourself. We must first love ourselves and be comfortable in our own skin before we can be of any use to the world.

Soul-practice an attitude of gratitude. Instead of thinking of how things are tough, how things are not going the way you want, all the things you do not have –practice thinking about and thanking your higher power, the Universe, God (whatever your belief system is) for the things you do have. One saying always comes to mind and I may not have this totally precise– I was feeling sorry for myself because I had no shoes, until I met the man who had no feet. Each of us always has something to be grateful for. For a real kick start watch the movie The Secret  www.thesecret.tv.