Brandon LaGreca
It had been a long six years. Following remission of the non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis that filled my abdominal cavity with tumors, I still suffered from periodic episodes of small bowel obstruction secondary to deep scar tissue known as adhesions. Although infrequent, these episodes were severe, traumatic, and occasionally resulted in hospitalization.
The diagnosis of prostate cancer was a bad dream that Jack couldn’t wake up from. At age 53, he was working overtime to prepare for his eldest daughter’s transition to college, and fitful nights of sleep had been plagued by a recurring dream of an angry, burning fire in his pelvis
Our family doesn’t watch much TV, but the Olympics were airing soon and we live far enough out in a rural area that an antenna receives few channels. Satellite or cable TV is excessive for our needs, leaving a streaming service as the only viable option. The challenge then became figuring out which streaming device uses ethernet and does not broadcast radiofrequency electromagnetic field (EMF) radiation.
What does it mean to obey God regarding health? Is an ethic for living a balanced life detailed in the holy book of each religious tradition? Or does following “God’s law” require a reinterpretation to guide modern-day adherents to be faithful servants of soil and spirit to empower human health?
We live in a time where the medical-industrial complex and related regulatory agencies are providing medical indulgences to citizens of the Western world. Rather than lead with education and invest in prevention as a first line of intervention, high-priced drugs and procedures cram the coffers of corporate medicine. If you think this analogy is pure hyperbole, what follows is a small sample of “theses” widely espoused by providers in the integrative and holistic medical community.
Being connected to a universal stream of consciousness may sound as unattainable as it is mystical, but to do so is an inherent feature of a broader spiritual reality we all share. From pre-civilized shamanic peoples to modern spiritual traditions, the same theme has echoed across millennia—we are not human beings having spiritual experiences but spiritual beings having human experiences.
What is intuition and how do we experience it? This is a question I’ve thought a lot about as a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine. Though my work is based on the science of herbal prescribing and acupuncture point indications, there is also a subtle art to the medicine that draws heavily on intuition.
It was an epic fail. The full force of an impact that should have been displaced by two hips, thighs, and legs, was instead taken by only the right lower limb. Limping away, I knew I was out for the night with the full extent of the injury looming as pain radiated from the knee joint.
There is a frustrating and all too common phenomenon that plagues many a sleeper. It goes something like this: Falling asleep is no problem, but in the early morning hours, one wakes agitated and restless. This can last up to an hour or two before finally falling back asleep. Upon rising is the feeling of being unrested, what we call “non-restorative sleep” in integrative medicine.
Aside from the respiratory symptoms and mild fatigue, she felt fine. She didn’t hear much else after her doctor suggested a tentative diagnosis of non-small-cell lung carcinoma.