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Can Eastern medicine’s principle theories be used to reduce obesity rates in America?

According to this newscaster’s opinion, it certainly could. If you look at China’s low obesity rate of 2.6%, it suggests that a balanced approach to health and wellness, combined with a more sensible diet (no McDonalds and Burger King on every block) definitely DOES have a profound effect. The statistics about healthcare spending are the most shocking. Just read:

“About a quarter of all Americans are obese. This week the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced that obesity-related diseases account for an estimated 147 billion dollars in medical costs annually in the United States. That’s 9.1 percent of all medical spending, up from 6.5 percent in 1998.

If you do the math, the report suggests we could pay the entire ten-year trillion-dollar bill for health care reform by lowering our obesity rate from 25 percent to 8 percent and thereby saving 100 billion dollars annually. And after ten years we’d have 100 billion dollars a year left over.

Obviously, we’re failing miserably to curb the obesity epidemic. But is there a country with a low obesity rate that we can look to as an example? China comes immediately to mind. In recent years the obesity rate in China has soared as urbanization and Westernization have introduced an unhealthier diet and more sedentary lifestyle. But traditional Chinese culture still serves as a model we can study, leading to an obesity rate of only 2.6 percent in 2002. Just as experts are looking to countries around the world for ideas on how to fix our broken health care system, we should be exploring the traditions of other cultures — now and in the past — for ideas on how to follow healthier lifestyles.”

Source: Dr. John LaPook, CBS Evening News

I found the following on eZineArticles. It offers further proof that Eastern Medicine is useful for inducing pregnancy with TCM.

If you check out the miracle method above, let me know of any success you might have, so I can report it to my readers. I haven’t read her methods, but I imagine they are similar to the Chinese Fertility Secrets linked in our main menu here on the right column. Either way, you are more likely to achieve success with Traditional Chinese Medicine, than with conventional Western methods.

What is your favorite pregnancy-inducing trick that you’ve heard? Leave your comments, so others can see what everyone has tried.

Karuna Reiki

Karuna, according to Reiki.org, is a Sanskrit word that loosely translated, means compassionate action, in “[diminishing] the suffering of others.” Some people say that Karuna Reiki is more powerful than Usui Reiki, but in order to take Karuna training you must already be a Reiki Master.

Karuna Reiki is broken down into two attunements with four master symbols and eight healing symbols. Each of the Karuna Reiki symbols has its own distinct healing benefits, from letting go of events that happened in the past, to stopping negative patterns, filling the client with love and balance, and grounding.

Karuna Reiki is said to work at a deeper level and requires many hours of preparation and learning, in order to become proficient. Some practitioners report a more spiritual feeling, associated with experiences where they are sensitive to their guides, angels or higher self.

Karuna was developed in the late twentieth century by William Rand, the founder and director of the International Center for Reiki Training, in Southfield, Michigan. Calling his technique the Reiki of Compassion, he stresses that Karuna Reiki is not a substitute for Usui Reiki, but rather an additional technique, with a different intent. It is accompanied by chanting and toning the names of its symbols, which is said to deepen the healing effect.

According to AP writer Marilynn Marchione, the “alternative medicine scam” (my quotes, not hers–she never used the word scam) is a waste of money. She says that taxpayer money is being spent foolishly to investigate the veracity of many treatments from acupuncture and Reiki to herbal supplements. A quick quote:

Echinacea for colds. Ginkgo biloba for memory. Glucosamine and chondroitin for arthritis. Black cohosh for menopausal hot flashes. Saw palmetto for prostate problems. Shark cartilage for cancer. All proved no better than dummy pills in studies funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. The lone exception: ginger capsules might help chemotherapy nausea.

The article talks about how powerful members of Congress created the center because they were using alternative treatment methods, and  therefore it was necessary to “research unconventional therapies and nostrums that Americans were using to see which ones had merit.”

The only admission that the writer makes was that “acupuncture has been shown to help some conditions, and yoga, massage, meditation and other relaxation methods might relieve symptoms like pain, anxiety, and fatigue.”

So even though those benefits are said to be valid, she lamented the fact that Reiki, distance healing, and other energy work are all without scientific basis.  You can read the article here.

$2.5 billion yields no alternative cures

I found an interesting article about Reiki and Christianity that might be of interest to some of my readers.  It was written by Marcia Backos at ChristianReiki.org.

Should Christians Practice Reiki?

If you are a Christian and you are wondering if Reiki is something that you should investigate, Backos’ article (see above link) provides a very helpful look at why Christians are increasingly drawn to this healing modality.

The problem that most believers find with Reiki is that it has Eastern origins, and the majority of Reiki healers would call themselves “spiritual” rather than Christian. A large number of Reiki masters are Buddhists (although many Buddhists will insist that it is a philosophy, and not a religion–therfore it is possible in their eye for Christianity and Buddhism to co-exist). Further reasons a lot of Christians are hesitant to want to learn about Reiki are that it has a certain “New Age” connotation; many Reiki healers are of the camp that believes in a Christ-consciousness instead of a personal, living Christ that died on the cross and is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

It is understandable that Reiki has a questionable nature, given the above, but for those people who are curious about Reiki, Backos several examples from scriptures that might provide a hopeful chance to change popular Christian opinion.

She writes, “Thoughtful, committed Christians seek accurate information and pray for guidance as part of deciding whether to adopt the practice of Reiki into their lives….By reading, seeking those who have given or experienced Reiki, and praying for insight and guidance, Christians can make decisions about how Reiki and other alternative healing methods might play a role in their lives. It’s important to keep in mind that while many Christians have found Reiki to be a spiritually fulfilling practice, it is not necessarily for everyone….Christians who have a solid foundation in their faith know that God will always protect and guide them. Those Christians who practice Reiki do so within the guidance and protection of God secure in the belief that they have been guided to follow Jesus’ example to be a healer.”

Reiki practitioners have long cited Jesus’ healing ability, and also the Christian tradition of laying on hands as evidence that it is not only a legitimate and REAL phenomenon, but also that it is not an immoral idea.  However, sometimes Christians are afraid that scriptures can be taken out of context and the meanings twisted into something that does not mesh well with a fundamentalist’s world view.

If you are interested in researching this matter further, check out the site above, and be sure to look at John 14:12, I Corinthians 12:4-31, Matthew 8:14-15, Mark 1:40-42, Luke 4:38-39, as well as the other passages mentioned in the article.

Whether or not you decide Reiki is right for you, it is important that you examine the Gospels and pray for wisdom in your decision.  If you are called to be a healer, Reiki might be one way for you to develop your gift. Comments are welcome.