Return To Health (Pando Health Groups)

Yesterday, my Del Mar Senior Health Forum met for our regularly scheduled bi-monthly meeting. We started as we routinely do with Tai Chi and Xi Gong led by Matt Szymczak for the first 30 minutes. This was followed by a 10 minute meditation also led by Matt. These 2 activities are both enjoyed by our group and provide a calm center for us to start our group interaction and discussion. We then proceeded into our conversation of the day. In the past, we used this time for educational lectures on a variety of topics related to aging, working through the health challenges of the senior years and creating a "good" end of life but over the last several sessions, we have left the educational/teaching format behind and have ventured into open, interactive dialogue exploring the concept of emotional connection. All members of the group are encouraged to participate but are not required to do so. We are attempting to get out of using our time as an intellectual pursuit of knowledge a...

What Parkinson's Teaches Us About The Brain This is a fantastic new discovery. Rigorous exercise (pushing beyond comfort) can prevent Parkinson's. Some might say "duh"; we have known in our hearts for years that exercise is good for us. This new research makes it all the more real. It expands what we intuitively know (exercise is good for both the mind and the body) and entices us to take true care of ourselves. In addition, it shows us the power of rigor and effort (above comfort and simple movement). One of the most dreaded and feared health conditions can be averted with persistent and determined discipline. Of course, we don't know as fact that Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative conditions can also be prevented through aggressive and persistent attention to living a healthy lifestyle but then again, we already know that exercise and social interaction are preventative factors for our worst fear. Yes, the mechanisms are far from clear. However, brillia...

Chronic disease is an entirely different entity than acute illness or disability. The key differentiating point is that chronic disease becomes "entangled" in a tornado of "host factors" complicating the body manifestation of the problem. It is these host factors that make it (1) more difficult to eradicate with the miracles of modern technology and pharmacology and (2) require an entirely different theoretical framework (paradigm) to approach and cure. It is possible to cure or significantly improve chronic disease but the approach is entirely different. While acute illness (ie infection) can be eradicated with implementation of a correct antibiotic or a diseased appendix can be cured with surgical removal, chronic conditions (those present for over 3-6 months) require a much broader, more holistic, deeper investigation and approach. The reason for this requirement is that when a problem becomes entrenched in a body, it becomes enmeshed with the host in a variety...

Must include: Lifestyle routine Emotions/Feelings --guilt, shame, sadness, fear, pain, self scorn, perceived approval/disapproval, wounds Habits -- Exercise, chemicals (alcohol, cigs, drugs), TV, Food, Beliefs/ Wounds/ Perceptions Support System -- both perceived and real Knowledge Access -- financial, location, resources, Self-esteem and self-efficacy Spiritual/ Connection Openness/ Vulnerability

From Khalil Ghibran : "Your daily life is your temple and your religion. When you enter into it, take with you your all."

Modern medicine is built around the concept that was developed during the last century for treating acute illness. This paradigm (theoretical framework) evolved after the invention of penicillin (and as a product of the industrial revolution) and grew exponentially into a giant industry which has been remarkably successful (and often miraculous). The fundamental principle which drives this paradigm is that acute body illness can be cured with a medicine, procedure (surgery, radiation, or physical manipulation). This paradigm applies to standard medicine and also to many of the "alternative/complementary" approaches such as chiropractic care, massage or even acupuncture. You come in injured, sick or wounded (body) and we (the medical industrial complex) can fix you. Great. Spectacular. God are we lucky to be alive during this time of remarkable capacity. It is truly awesome how widespread and disseminated the knowledge and power of this paradigm is in a remarkably short peri...

The word has come to refer very often now to a thought pattern in any scientific discipline or other epistemological context. The Merriam-Webster Online dictionary defines this usage as "a philosophical and theoretical framework of a scientific school or discipline within which theories, laws, and generalizations and the experiments performed in support of them are formulated; broadly: a philosophical or theoretical framework of any kind ."

I have used this website for several purposes. First, I used it to discover the magic of the internet and the power of cyber-connection. I realized my love of writing and found my voice. Next, I documented my own personal healing which was a combination of the miracle of technological advance with the development of a new perception of an old malady. I then documented my "comeback" and return to health and well-being and the wide variety of learning and experiences which facilitated my steady progress. Next, I used the site to help me create a vision of the doctor I wanted to be and the practice I wished to offer. More recently, I have continued to clarify my thoughts and feelings on the essential components of healing. Now, I wish to again re-focus and concentrate on what I believe from my deepest knowing to be the new paradigm in medicine. I have worked in and studied our "broken" system and love it for the miracles it has brought and continues to bring. However, ...