Return To Health (Pando Health Groups)

It has now been 4 months since I had the Liberation Procedure performed on my blocked jugular veins. I continue to improve. I walk several miles(usually 2-3) one or two times a day. My endurance is improving. My gait and balance are notably better(this is confirmed by physician friends who saw me before my procedure and since). I do hills without problem. My energy is good. This is the most notable of my improvements. I do not experience the exhaustion (both with exercise and as a part of everyday life) that was so much a part of my life prior to the procedure. I ride my bicycle 3 times a week including some very good inclines(most notably Torrey Pines hill). This level of activity was not possible for me over the last few years. I am beginning to include running in my walks. It does not feel good yet but I am running a little bit(at least 100 yards) every day. Overall, I am infinitely grateful that I was able to get this procedure done on myself. I had faced a progressive decline over...

A really interesting book in my opinion--written by a professor at UCSD: Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives James Fowler

So in my quest to be part of a new healing paradigm in medicine, I am healing myself. I was fortunate enough to have the "Liberation Procedure" early in its American course and I have reaped immense benefit. I am now "back in the game" with a world of possibility and promise. Part of me has still struggled despite my marked physical improvement. My writing is my attempt to "find my voice." I have always been afraid of authority figures and the medical system is one giant authority figure in my eyes and mind. So, while my body is healing, my mind and spirit have not yet broken through. My veins are open but my voice is still choked. My spirit is calling for freedom and it does not want to be denied. While I feel my brain is being cleared of the accumulated blood, iron and inflammation, my mind needs more for true health to unfold. I need to find my voice and my true power. Thank you for letting this blog be my training ground. Health is not just physical; ...

So why did I write those last 8 entries. What are they for? What am I trying to say? do? For over 15 years, I have felt a burning desire to be a part of changing the medical paradigm. It dates back to when I had the opportunity to work with the Dean Ornish Program for Reversing Heart Disease when it was offered at Scripps. I had the good fortune to learn about leading the groups(one of the 4 components of the program). Dr. Jim Billings taught me and all the members of our team. It was an extremely profound experience for me -- life changing. I was blown away by the power and emotion of the experience. He was a true master leader and had a profound effect on all of us as well as the heart patients. People opened their hearts in the group like I had never witnessed people do and we the students opened our hearts. The benefit to me was monumental. The benefits to the heart patients was truly liberating. It was so moving to witness a scared, frail heart patient first brave the experience a...

At the top of the 8 (our symbol leading to health), stands love. Love is the fuel of all of the other components of our quest for health. It is what separates foods that come from nature from foods that are processed, synthesized and mass produced. It is the energy of the "endorphin rush" which arises from sustained movement and deep connection. It is the heart and soul of and the byproduct of forgiveness. It gives us hope and sustains our faith. Gratitude is the remembering of love while peace is the resting place and home of love. It is truly the energy which makes the world go round. We are born with love in our hearts and it is our ongoing challenge to remember it and nurture it. To me, the goal of life is to remember the flame of love in our hearts. The journey of life is filled with so many ups and downs, goods and bads, lessons and challenges that we often forget what or who we are but when we remember love, we come home to the beauty and magic that lights the world. B...

We've reached the upper half of the circle of 8. Community and connection lie at the base of the upper circle. In combination, they are the base/core of a true spirituality. Connection is the act of eliminating separation and the process of coming together with another of our comrades on this journey of life. The overcoming of separation and isolation is one of the true goals in life and therefore a major component of health. Connecting with our brothers and sisters can be extremely challenging given how different we can be on the surface of things. Overcoming color, culture and personality differences is certainly not easy. Breaking through the walls which separate us--our differences--and coming to respect, honor and even like our fellow travelers requires a willingness and a capacity for understanding, empathy and patience. However, the prize is truly magnificent. A relationship; a kinship; a partnership. If one is fortunate enough and willing to work with the inherent challenge...

Hope and faith are so closely linked that I could not separate them. They both point to a deep feeling of trust that can cannot be clearly localized but has a stronger pull on us than any other force. Hope and faith create the unknown places in medicine. How long will they live? The miracle cure. The placebo effect. These are examples of the powers of hope and faith. They energize the weak or injured or ill. They can overpower the most deadly of afflictions. How two people perceive of a situation is determined by the lenses through which they view the situation. When supported by the energy and power which come from faith and hope, healing can be quite a different experience. Whether the faith be in a higher power or in a unifying force or in a doctor does not matter. If one believes in their core that there is reason for their situation and they can see a way for them to get well, then it just might happen. There are numerous documented studies on the power of our belief and intentio...

Forgiveness is at the base of my figure 8 which is the path and the outline for the attainment of health(living with energy, freedom, and authenticity). The reason for this is because of the monumental importance of letting go of our anger, resentment, hatred, and all negative states. Peace, love, health, and any truly positive state can only be accessed if we let go of our deeply held negativity. Forgiveness is first and foremost something we do for ourselves. It really does not have anything to do with others. We forgive them but we do not need them to accept or receive our gift. In fact, the recipient does not need to be aware of our blessing. It is truly only for us. We are choosing not to hold on to our grievances or animosities. We are letting go. We are setting ourselves free of our suffering. Suffering evolves out of our perceptions. We were hurt by another. They didn't care about us. Why me? How could they do that after all we have been through? These perceptions whether r...

Another pillar of the foundation of health is peace. The ability to cultivate peace is crucial to the ongoing maintenance of a healthy mind, body and spirit. The actual cultivation and holding of peace is challenging in our chaotic, frenetic and too often disconnected world. The pace of life in our country and throughout the world seems to be ever increasing. The demands placed on most of us often overwhelms and can even paralyze us. Returning to a state of peace is both necessary for rejuvenation and critical for ongoing clarity and full functioning. Creativity and innovation evolve much more readily out of a peaceful mind and body. Sleep is our time for rest and rejuvenation. Sleep requires that we be able to let go of the tasks and responsibilities of the day and literally "fall" into a peaceful state. We all realize how important this period of recovery is to our ability to keep functioning in the world. Missing even 2 nights sleep in a row is a rapid reminder of how abso...

The state of being grateful is extremely important component of being healthy. Indeed having an attitude of gratitude is mutually exclusive with being angry, cynical, depressed or unhappy. If and when one is truly grateful, an entirely different part of the brain and mind is at play than when one is dwelling in the negative emotions. So what is it to be grateful. I believe we have all experienced this emotion at some time in our lives. To be grateful requires one to be content with his or her place. To be thankful. It can be a transient state like after receiving a gift or it can be more like a personality trait. Recent research shows it to be one of the most powerful of human emotions explaining why one cannot experience negative emotions simultaneous to feeling grateful. It is very predictive of happiness and well-being. Gratitude can be learned and practiced. People keeping "gratitude journals" were shown to be generally happier and less depressed than controls. This is re...

At the very root of a program to regain health lies the absolute necessity of daily movement. The body is built for functioning and for ambulating and it loses its amazing capacity if not used. Injuries and ailments may make the flow and fluidity of the body less ideal but they are not a reason for stagnation. Life is flow and if we want to keep the privelege of inhabiting our bodies then we have to use our bodies. Exercise of any sort makes our bodies sing. They may not sing if they have not been worked in a while but the body absolutely will respond when challenged. In a true quest to regain health and vitality, regular movement is a requirement. What form or fashion is really not the issue. Some people like to walk. Some prefer riding a bike. Some feel most comfortable in water. Others like to build their muscles in a gym. Others like to work with their bodies without apparatus either with yoga, TaiChi, or dance. Some are benefitted coupling their workout with music. Some like group...

What we eat becomes who we are. Food and liquids are the building blocks for a healthy body. Unfortunately, the world has created many very unhealthy options for our consumption. The drives for convenience, pleasant taste and "quick fixes" have made eating and drinking very unhealthful. We as a culture have drifted away from natural, restorative nourishment to unnatural, actually quite toxic fare. We all know this. This is not something new or unknown. Our country has been nicknamed the "fast food nation". This is not meant to be a lecture or whining. It is meant to allow us to be who we want to be. If our goal is to get healthy, then we have to start with where we re-build ourselves everyday. We cannot expect to have plentiful energy and happy organs if the fuel we put in our bodies is anything less than sacred. By sacred, I mean natural, from the earth and truly bringing of life and energy. A healthy nourishment routine is actually quite simple. It is based in fru...

I have never quite verbalized my dream and my intention for my life. It is now finally becoming clear to me. As this blog has been a gateway to healing for me, I am going to design my dream on this blog. I am going to start today with a brief introduction. Our world is in need of a parallel pathway to our current medical system. The new path will be the other half of the circle. The current model will continue to deliver excellent acute care with ever improving, innovative technology. The parallel tract will be community-based, universally available and accessible, free of charge, and providing for lifelong support. This parallel tract will NOT focus or separate by diagnoses. It will provide a general prescription for healthful living and empower participants through adoption of this health producing lifestyle. It allows each individual to design his or her own healing plan especially suited for them. It works in concert with the acute care system only adding to the base of safety prov...

YouTube - Shifting MS YouTube - Montel Williams On Happiness

I had a great day yesterday. Right here in my hometown of Del Mar, we had TEDxDelMar. TED talks are videoed speeches by prominent thought leaders. They are usually 12-20 minute talks about a wide variety of topics from health, environmentalism, computers,etc. I have always enjoyed viewing these talks on the computer. Now the TED people are going out to local communities, finding interesting thought leaders and putting on local shows. The day yesterday was truly phenomenal! Interesting people, great speakers and 9 hours of mind-opening material. Some of the talks seemed specifically geared to me. I have wanted to be a part of changing the medical paradigm for 15 years. I have felt stifled working "in the system" for over a decade. I have tried multiple jobs and worked for very good people but I have not found my place. The talks yesterday put words to my feelings. I felt validated and motivated by it all. Health was a common topic and the healthcare debacle was looming in the ...