Posts Tagged ‘nyc’

Hi little girl, it’s me – don’t you know who I am?
I met you last summer when I came up to stay with my Gram
I’m the guy-uy-uy who left you with tears in his eyes
You didn’t answer my letters, so I figured it was just a li-i-i-i-ie

“Girl Don’t Tell Me” – The Beach Boys

The health care debate has so many moving parts that it’s hard for anybody to keep them straight. So we decided to put together an overview of where we’re at—both good and bad—and what we’re all going to need to keep fighting for.

Neither of these bills is close to perfect. But we’re entering the home stretch where we risk losing a lot of what’s good in these bills and where we have a huge opportunity to strengthen the parts that need work.

Here’s where we are:

The House of Representatives passed their bill last month. The Senate is aiming to pass its version before Christmas.

Overall, both pieces of legislation would do four major things:

* Create a “Health Insurance Exchange.” The bills create a one-stop marketplace where people can choose from various insurance plans, including the public option. The details aren’t set yet, but initially the Exchange would likely be open to the self-employed, people without insurance at work, and small businesses.1 The key with the Exchange is that it brings “the bargaining power and scale that’s generally accessible only to large employers” to individuals—and with that, lower costs and better options.2

* Provide insurance to over 30 million more people. The House bill would expand coverage to 36 million people by 2019. The Senate bill extends coverage to 31 million.3

* Outlaw discrimination based on pre-existing conditions and gender. Insurance companies will have to stop denying coverage to people with “pre-existing conditions.” And they won’t be allowed to charge women more than men for the same coverage.4

* Eliminate coverage limits and price-gouging. The bills differ on some details, but in general would place limits on how much people have to pay for health care beyond their premiums. They both cap out-of-pocket costs and ban insurance companies from setting limits on how much health care they’ll cover for a person each year.5

Of course, the devil is in the details, and much in these bills still needs work.

Here’s what still needs to be fixed:

* Both bills leave millions uninsured. The House bill leaves 18 million without insurance in 2019; the Senate bill, 24 million. Neither comes close to the vision for universal coverage so many of us fought for for years. We’ll all need to fight to continue to expand coverage in the bills this year, and in the years to come.6

* The Senate public option is weak, and conservatives are pushing to make it weaker. The public option is a core piece of reform that will create real accountability and competition for private insurance—and that’s why it’s at the center of such a huge fight. While the House bill creates a national public option, the Senate lets states opt out, denying their residents access to it. Plus, conservatives are working to weaken it even more. We’re all going to have to fight hard for the strongest version possible.7

* Many reforms don’t start quickly enough. While some pieces of reform go into effect right away, the larger structural changes are not scheduled to go into effect until 2013 (House bill) or 2014 (Senate bill). This includes the Exchange, the public option, and subsidies—the major ways coverage will be expanded.8

* Required insurance could still be too expensive for many. Both bills require virtually all Americans to have insurance. But the caps on how much we’re expected to pay are way too high, and the subsidies are way too low. Many progressives are working to fix this, but it’s going to be a significant fight.9

* Reproductive rights are severely restricted in the House bill. An egregious anti-choice amendment in the bill virtually prohibits anyone purchasing insurance in the Exchange from buying a plan that covers abortion—even if paid for with their own money. We need to make sure the final bill doesn’t include this rollback of reproductive rights.10

* The Senate bill could discriminate against lower income workers. The current Senate legislation retains a version of what’s called the “free rider” provision, which essentially penalizes employers for hiring lower income workers. This provision needs to be fixed before the bill is finalized.11

There’s a lot going on in these bills, and we’re all going to need to be vigilant to ensure the good pieces end up in the final bill, and the bad ones are fixed. It’s going to be a rocky ride. But if we fight together, we’ll come out stronger in the end.

Sources:

1. “A Health Insurance Exchange: The Fine Print,” The New York Times, August 20, 2009

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85241&id=18172-11381997-6Gfo9tx&t=3

“Health Reform at a Glance: The Health Insurance Exchange,” House Committees on Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, and Education and Labor, July 14, 2009

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85665&id=18172-11381997-6Gfo9tx&t=4

2. “Health Insurance Exchanges: The Most Important, Undernoticed Part of Health Reform,” The Washington Post, June 16, 2009

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85664&id=18172-11381997-6Gfo9tx&t=5

3. “H.R. 3962, Affordable Health Care for America Act,” Congressional Budget Office, November 20, 2009

http://cbo.gov/doc.cfm?index=10741

“Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” Congressional Budget Office, November 18, 2009

http://cbo.gov/doc.cfm?index=10731

4. “Top 10 Ways Health Insurance Reform Works for You,” The Speaker of the House, October 29, 2009

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85669&id=18172-11381997-6Gfo9tx&t=6

“How Health Insurance Reform Will Help Your Family,” Senate Democratic Policy Committee

http://dpc.senate.gov/dpcdoc-responsiblereform.cfm

“Meeting Women’s Health Care Needs,” The Speaker of the House

http://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/legislation?id=0327

“Reports on Health Insurance Reform—Women,” Senate Democratic Policy Committee

http://dpc.senate.gov/dpcdoc-responsiblereform.cfm

5. “Top 10 Ways Health Insurance Reform Works for You,” The Speaker of the House, October 29, 2009

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85669&id=18172-11381997-6Gfo9tx&t=7

“How Health Insurance Reform Will Help Your Family,” Senate Democratic Policy Committee

http://dpc.senate.gov/dpcdoc-responsiblereform.cfm

6. “H.R. 3962, Affordable Health Care for America Act,” Congressional Budget Office, November 20, 2009

http://cbo.gov/doc.cfm?index=10741

“Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” Congressional Budget Office, November 18, 2009

http://cbo.gov/doc.cfm?index=10731

“REPORT: How the Senate Bill Compares to Other Reform Legislation,” Think Progress, November 19, 2009

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85670&id=18172-11381997-6Gfo9tx&t=8

7. “Sen. Reid Announces ‘Opt Out’ Public Plan,” The New York Times, October 26, 2009

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85673&id=18172-11381997-6Gfo9tx&t=9

“Carper: Conservative Democrats Not Likely To Support Senate Public Option,” Talking Points Memo, November 17, 2009

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85675&id=18172-11381997-6Gfo9tx&t=10

8. “Top 14 Provisions That Take Effect Immediately,” The Speaker of the House

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85676&id=18172-11381997-6Gfo9tx&t=11

“What happens before 2014?” The Washington Post, November 19, 2009

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85677&id=18172-11381997-6Gfo9tx&t=12

“Senate, House Democratic health bills compared,” The Associated Press, November 18, 2009

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85667&id=18172-11381997-6Gfo9tx&t=13

9. “The Details of The New Merged Senate Bill,” Think Progress, November 18, 2009

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85668&id=18172-11381997-6Gfo9tx&t=14

“REPORT: How the Senate Bill Compares to Other Reform Legislation,” Think Progress, November 19, 2009

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85670&id=18172-11381997-6Gfo9tx&t=15

“Analysis: How the Senate health care bill stacks up with the House health care bill,” Think Progress, November 19, 2009

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/11/19/senate-house-comparison/

10. “The Ban on Abortion Coverage,” The New York Times, November 9, 2009

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/10/opinion/10tue1.html

11. “The noxious ‘free rider’ provision,” The Washington Post, November 25, 2009

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85671&id=18172-11381997-6Gfo9tx&t=16

“Senate Health Bill Improves Employer Responsibility Provision,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, November 19, 2009

http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=3003

“The Baucus Bill: The Worst Policy in the Bill, and Possibly in the World,” The Washington Post, September 16, 2009

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85672&id=18172-11381997-6Gfo9tx&t=17

More Security and Stability

If You Have Health Insurance, the Obama Plan:

* Ends discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions.

* Limits premium discrimination based on gender and age.

* Prevents insurance companies from dropping coverage when people are sick and need it most.

* Caps out-of-pocket expenses so people don’t go broke when they get sick.

* Eliminates extra charges for preventive care like mammograms, flu shots and diabetes tests to improve health and save money.

* Protects Medicare for seniors.

* Eliminates the “donut-hole” gap in coverage for prescription drugs.

Quality, Affordable Choices

If You Don’t Have Insurance, the Obama Plan:

* Creates a new insurance marketplace — the Exchange — that allows people without insurance and small businesses to compare plans and buy insurance at competitive prices.

* Provides new tax credits to help people buy insurance.

* Provides small businesses tax credits and affordable options for covering employees.

* Offers a public health insurance option to provide the uninsured and those who can’t find affordable coverage with a real choice.

* Immediately offers new, low-cost coverage through a national “high risk” pool to protect people with preexisting conditions from financial ruin until the new Exchange is created.

Reins in the Cost of Health Care

For All Americans, the Obama Plan:

* Won’t add a dime to the deficit and is paid for upfront.

* Requires additional cuts if savings are not realized.

* Implements a number of delivery system reforms that begin to rein in health care costs and align incentives for hospitals, physicians, and others to improve quality.

* Creates an independent commission of doctors and medical experts to identify waste, fraud and abuse in the health care system.

* Orders immediate medical malpractice reform projects that could help doctors focus on putting their patients first, not on practicing defensive medicine.

* Requires large employers to cover their employees and individuals who can afford it to buy insurance so everyone shares in the responsibility of reform.

Many small businesses are suffering at the hands of big insurance companies who charge sky-high premiums but often deny care when it’s needed the most.

As part of our campaign to win real health care reform, we’re taking on big insurance companies—and we want to highlight the voices of small-business leaders like you.

You can help out by taking a short survey.

To get started, click to let us know: Does your small business provide health insurance for you or your employees?

click on the answers below.

Yes, my business pays some or all employee health insurance costs.

No, I can’t afford to provide health insurance.

Health care is something that has been postponed for decades.

We can’t afford to wait.

Americans spend more on health care than people do elsewhere, but somehow we spend more for less.

Most of us have no clue about the actual cost of our medical care until the bills arrive, because hospitals and doctors don’t publish their charges. The cost of insurance goes up and up, with fewer services covered. Millions of Americans needlessly suffer or die from preventable medical errors and infections.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Costs can come down and quality can improve if we stop letting the insurance companies run the show, make billing clear and simple, and focus on prevention and managing chronic illness better.

You can make a difference by taking our pledge and joining our effort to make health care a top priority for our nation’s leaders.

THE PLEDGE:
I want to join with other Americans to support action, answers and accountability. It is time to:

* * Give my family security that we will have quality care when we need it at a cost we can afford;
* * Make hospitals and doctors more transparent about the cost and quality of care they offer;
* * Eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy between patients and the care they need;
* * End long waits for care;
* * Examine all solutions that will ensure all Americans access to quality, affordable care, with input from real people like me.

Sign the pledge here

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/411857645?z00m=15215845

Listen to the boys loud and clear
Come on folks withstand you fears
Sail away the choice is yours you choose
Celebrate the news
There ain’t no blues
Come on, come on, come on

“Celebrate the News” – The Beach Boys

Are you happy with the current administration? Would you rather move to Finland and open a hotdog stand? Do you think Congress needs a sign language interpreter? Is Hillary helping our foreign policy? Are Republicans making us aware or they just whining?

Is President Obama doing a good job?

Now is your chance to grade the Obama Administration and Congress on how its handled the second 100 days in office.
Vote now on CNN.com, and then tune in to CNN TV on August 6, 2009 at 8p ET for the final grades.

http://reportcard.cnn.com/

or if you’re on Facebook vote here-

http://www.facebook.com/cnn?v=app_76250973015&viewas=1219724251

Either you believe there is light at the end of the tunnel or you believe the hammer and sickle is the new fashion statement…

So vote, voice your opinion!

Facebook has so many members. There are enough quizzes and polls to give the average joe a mild seizure. “What’s your favorite color?”, “What are your favorite dog breeds” or ” What is your favorite breakfast meat?”. With over 120 million registered members, a Facebook poll on Obama would be quite interesting.

So Facebook members why not take the poll? Doesn’t matter whether you’re Democrat,Republican, or French. The numbers so far today are pretty split. Might not be completely scientific but what the heck, it might be a fun summertime distraction!

Just follow the link and vote. Your country and Facebook thank you!

http://apps.facebook.com/my_polls/vote.php?poll_id=76&src=url_share

There is even a comment section if you want to explain your vote!

I know so many people who think they can do it alone

They isolate their heads and stay in their safety zones

Now what can you tell them

And what can you say that won’t make them defensive?

“I Know There’s an Answer” – The Beach Boys

Health care reform is in trouble in the Senate.

Conservatives in Congress, including some Democrats, are trying to kill Obama’s public health insurance option not by opposing it outright, but by pushing weak half-measures and calling them “public plans.”1 The latest is a proposal for small, regional “co-ops” that would have no chance of competing against insurance companies to bring costs down.2

If we act immediately, we have a good shot at defeating ploys like the “co-op.” The key is to make it clear that we support a strong public health insurance option and lay out exactly what that means.

Click below and we’ll fax a flier in your name (for free!) to Sens. Casey and Specter that sets the bar for a strong public health insurance option. Faxes come directly into the office, so staffers are guaranteed to see them. And if enough of us send faxes, staffers will pass the flier on to their senator.

http://pol.moveon.org/fax?tg=FSPA_2.FSPA_1&cp_id=967&id=16427-11381997-1fRxivx&t=3

It’s up to us to remind our senators that an overwhelming majority of Americans—83%—supports a public health insurance option,3 and that weak half-measures like the “co-op” plan are no substitute for real reform.

The flier says: “A strong public health insurance option must be part of health care reform this year,” and outlines key criteria that a plan must be based upon:

* Available to all of us: A strong public health insurance option should be available to anyone who chooses to participate. If you like your current plan, you can keep it; if you want to participate in the public health insurance plan, you can choose that.

* A national plan with real bargaining clout: In order to truly control costs and compete with private health insurance plans, a strong public health insurance option must be available nationwide.

* Ready on day one: Every day we wait on real reform, health care costs continue to rise. A strong public health insurance option with a broad network of providers right out of the gate is key to building a competitive program that will help control costs.

* A truly public plan: To ensure it’s held to the highest standards of accountability, a public health insurance option must be truly publicly run—accountable and transparent to Congress and to voters.

If thousands of us send faxes to Senate offices this week, we can make sure that message is heard loud and clear. Can you fax Sens. Casey and Specter today? Click below and we’ll send one for you:

http://pol.moveon.org/fax?tg=FSPA_2.FSPA_1&cp_id=967&id=16427-11381997-1fRxivx&t=4

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace

Where there is hatred, let me sow love:

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not

So much seek to be consoled

As to console,

To be understood as to understand,

To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive,

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

And it is in dying that we are born

to eternal life.

Prayer of St.Francis

This is a wonderful prayer of healing and peace. The healing art of Reiki is very similar to the prayer. Bringing love and light to help others heal. Not anymore. At least according to the Catholic Church. I received a letter from Reiki Master Holly Matthews about how the church says to not support the use of Reiki sessions!

It would have been different if the bishops had done their homework….

Read on

A Response to the Bishops’ Statement on Reiki

by William Lee Rand

On March 25, 2009, U.S. Catholic bishops issued a statement advising Catholic hospitals, health care facilities, and Catholic chaplains not to support the use of Reiki sessions. The statement was issued by The Committee on Doctrine, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and titled: “Guidelines for Evaluating Reiki as Alternative Therapy.”

The statement was based on research the committee had done over a period of several months involving information found on the Internet and in Reiki books. Based on these sources, they concluded that Reiki came from Buddhist texts and has a religious basis; that Reiki healing energy is directed by human thought and will; that Reiki is not validated by scientific studies and has no scientific explanation, and that Reiki is not accepted by the medical community.

When considering the value of the bishops’ statement, it’s important to note the sources they accessed. Much of their research came from information published on Internet Web sites. Overall, the Internet isn’t a good source of factual information because there is no requirement that information published there be checked or approved for accuracy. Anyone can set up a Web site and publish anything they wish. What often happens is that authors of sites copy from each other, so if inaccurate information is published on one site, it can easily spread to many sites across the Internet. If one makes use of the Internet for research, one must use a developed set of selection criteria that limits one to only the most respected and reputable Web sites. Otherwise, one runs the risk of accepting rumor and misinformation as fact.

This is especially true for Reiki Web sites. Reiki information has been riddled with inaccurate ideas from the beginning of its practice in the West. Many Reiki practitioners, teachers and authors fail to check the accuracy of the information they base their teaching and writing on, and this has had a detrimental effect on the quality of information published both on the Internet and in Reiki books.

The best information on Reiki comes from those who have researched the history and practice of Reiki professionally by conducting research in Japan, reading original documents, and interviewing members of the founding Reiki organization in Japan. If the bishops who wrote the statement on Reiki had interviewed several of these experts, they would have realized that much of the published information on Reiki is inaccurate, and they would have had accurate, verifiable information on which to base their conclusions.

Origin of Reiki

One of the stories told by Mrs. Takata about the origin of Reiki indicates that the founder, Mikao Usui discovered the secret of Reiki n Buddhist texts.1 This story has been repeated over and over in Reiki classes, on Internet Web sites and in many Reiki books. Yet we know this isn’t true. For many years, Mrs. Takata was the only source of information about Reiki for those in the West, and most practitioners accepted her statements without question. Language, cultural, and organizational barriers in Japan made research difficult for those who wanted to learn more about the origins and practice of Reiki. It wasn’t until the end of the 90’s that a few researchers were able to make breakthroughs.

Researchers, including Toshitaka Mochizuki, Hiroshi Doi and Frank Arjava Petter, made contact with the original Reiki organization, discovered Mikao Usui’s grave, translated the story of Reiki inscribed on his memorial stone, and uncovered an original document written by Mikao Usui about the nature of Reiki. These sources indicate that Mikao Usui wasn’t seeking to discover a method of healing, but that the ability to heal came to him spontaneously during a spiritual experience on a sacred mountain. Furthermore, in his Reiki Ryoho Hikkei (Reiki Healing Art Handbook), Mikao Usui states: “My Usui Reiki Ryoho (healing art) is original, never before explored, and incomparable in the world.” These facts indicate that Reiki couldn’t have come from Buddhist texts, nor could it be connected to any religion or belief system. In addition, Japanese Reiki Masters who have knowledge of Buddhism have indicated that they can find nothing from Buddhism in the practice of Reiki and that Reiki is religiously neutral.2

The Nature of Reiki Healing

One of the first things I noticed after I took my first Reiki class and began to practice Reiki is that Reiki healing energy directs itself. I was unable to direct it with my mind or will and realized this wasn’t necessary as Reiki had its own form of guidance that was superior to my own. This experience has been verified by other professional Reiki practitioners and forms the basis of one of the important keys to using Reiki: If you want Reiki to provide the best healing experience, it’s necessary for the practitioner to set their own desire, will and ego aside, and allow the Reiki energy to guide itself.

Scientific Explanation for Reiki

There is a scientific explanation for Reiki that is based on scientific studies and factual information. This explanation has been presented as a testable hypothesis by James Oschman, Ph.D.

Dr. Oschman is a scientist with a conventional background who became interested in the practice of energy medicine. Through research, he discovered a number of important scientific studies that point to a scientific basis for energy medicine based on the laws of physics and biology. These findings are discussed in an interview, “Science and the Human Energy Field,” published in the Winter 2002 issue of Reiki News Magazine.

The electrical currents that run through every part of the human body provide the basis for Dr. Oschman’s hypothesis. These currents are present in the nervous system, organs, and cells of the body. For instance, the electrical signals that trigger the heartbeat travel throughout all the tissues of the body and can be detected anywhere on the body.

Ampere’s law indicates that when an electrical current flows through a conductor, an electromagnetic field is produced that reflects the nature of the current that created it. Tests with scientific instruments indicate that electromagnetic fields exist around the body and around each of the organs of the body, including the brain, heart, kidneys, liver, stomach, etc. The heart has the strongest field, which has been measured at a distance of 15 feet from the body.

The fields around each of the organs pulse at different frequencies and stay within a specific frequency range when they are healthy, but move out of this range when they are unhealthy. The hands of healers produce pulsing electromagnetic fields when they are in the process of healing, whereas the hands of non-healer do not produce these fields. When a healer places his or her hands on or near a person in need of healing, the electromagnetic field of the healer’s hands sweeps through a range of frequencies based on the needs of the part of the body being treated. Faraday’s law indicates that one electromagnetic field can induce currents into a nearby conductor and through this process, induce a similar field around it. In this way, a healer induces a healthy electromagnetic field around an unhealthy organ, thus inducing a healthy state in the organ. A detailed explanation of this hypothesis, including descriptions of the scientific studies, diagrams, and references is presented in the interview mentioned above.

Acceptance by the Medical Community

Although Reiki is not universally accepted within the medical community, many medical professionals, hospitals, and healthcare facilities recognize its benefits and accept it as an adjunct therapy. In Holistic Nursing, A Handbook for Practice, Chapter 2 “Scope and Standards of Practice,” the American Holistic Nursing Association (AHNA) lists Reiki as an accepted form of treatment.3 In addition, according to the American Hospital Association, in 2007 Reiki was offered as a standard part of patient care in 15% or over 800 hospitals across the US.4 Doctors have recommended Reiki to their patients for amelioration of various health-related conditions. Surgeons make use of Reiki practitioners prior to, during, and following surgery. As an example, Dr. Mehmet Oz, one of the most respected cardiovascular surgeons in the US, uses Reiki during open-heart surgeries and heart transplants. According to Dr. Oz, “Reiki has become a sought-after healing art among patients and mainstream medical professionals.”5

Ethical Implications

To refuse Reiki treatment to patients that request it creates an ethical issue. According to the AHNA statement in response to the bishops’ statement, the practice of holistic nursing is not subject to regulation by the Catholic church and it would be an ethical violation for a member of the AHNA to withhold Reiki treatment from a patient who requests it; this includes those working in Catholic hospitals.

Scientific Studies

There are a number of reputable scientific studies that provide evidence that Reiki is therapeutic. These studies can be found by using one of the professional medical databases such as PubMed or Cochrane Collection.6 Studies meeting medical and scientific standards are usually published in peer-reviewed journals. There are over 20 such studies on the therapeutic value of Reiki. A review of some of these studies, “An Integrative Review of Reiki Touch Therapy Research” by Anne Vitale, Ph. D., can be found at http://www.nursingcenter.com/pdf.asp?AID=732068. While the Reiki studies conducted to date are preliminary in nature, they do provide support for additional studies.

One well-designed Reiki study is “Autonomic Nervous-System-Changes During Reiki Treatment: A Preliminary Study.”7 Forty-five subjects were assigned randomly to three groups. One group received no treatment, another received Reiki treatment by experienced Reiki practitioners, and the third group received sham treatment by a person with no Reiki training who used the same hand positions as those receiving real Reiki.

Measurements were made of heart rate, cardiac vagal tone, blood pressure, cardiac sensitivity to baroreflex, and breathing. Heart rate and diastolic blood pressure decreased significantly for those receiving Reiki, but not for those receiving sham Reiki, or no treatment. This study indicates that the body does respond to Reiki energy and that this response isn’t purely psychological. It also indicates a potential therapeutic effect for Reiki.

“Reiki Improves Heart Rate Homeostasis in Laboratory Rats”8 is another valuable study. The value of using animals in this type of study is that they are not affected by belief or skepticism regarding Reiki. In addition, highly accurate telemetric implants were used to transmit the biometric data. White noise was used to increase the heart rate of three implanted laboratory rats. The rats were treated by a Reiki practitioner and by a sham Reiki practitioner prior to being exposed to white noise and after exposure. The procedure involved the practitioner directing their hands toward the caged rat at a distance of four feet. The rats that received Reiki experienced a significant reduction in heart rate, both before having their heart rates elevated by white noise and after, whereas those treated with sham Reiki did not. This is one of the most rigorous Reiki studies to date and demonstrates that Reiki reduces the heart rate in both stressed and unstressed animals and promotes homeostasis, both of which promote healthy heart function.

Reiki is practiced by followers of many religious traditions. Although some practitioners integrate Reiki into their existing religious beliefs, Reiki is not a religion, doctrine, or dogma. Reiki is grounded in the principle of compassionate action, which is common to all religious traditions. While each religion has the right to create its own rules, it’s within the nature of human dignity and free will for each person to decide which path to follow and what activities are appropriate for them.

1 Paul David Mitchell, The Blue Book, revised edition for The Reiki Alliance (Coeur d’Alene, Idaho: 1985), page 13.

2 Personal communication with Japanese Reiki practitioners Hiroshi Doi and Hyakuten Inamoto.

3 page 56.

4 http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-09-14-alternative-therapies_N.htm and www.reikiinhospitals.org

5 http://healthcare-research.suite101.com/article.cfm/reiki_in_hospitals

6 http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/ PubMed is the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) free digital archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature. http://www.lib.umb.edu/node/1353 The Cochrane Collection provides access to a collection of databases, which focus on the effects of health care and evidence based medical practice.

7 Nicole Makay, M.Sc., Stig Hansen, Ph.D., and Oona McFarlane, M.A., The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, Volume 10, Number 6, 2004, pp. 1077–1081. This study is also discussed in “The Science of Reiki” by Nicole Mackay, Reiki News Magazine (Summer 2005).

8 Ann Linda Baldwin, Ph.D, Christina Wagers, and Gary E. Schwartz, Ph.D., The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, Volume 14, Number 4, 2008, pp. 417–422.

William Lee Rand is president of the International Center for Reiki Training and executive editor of the Reiki News Magazine. He has studied with five Reiki teachers, including two from Japan, and has made three trips to Japan to research the history and nature of Reiki. Rand has practiced Reiki since 1981 and has taught full time for 20 years.

Permission to Forward and Quote

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The gentle waves of love in motion
And the warmth of summer sun
In your love I need no compass
My direction has begun
Could you be an angel sent from god
No one ever could have told me how
No one ever could have told me how
Heaven could be here on earth

“Heaven” – Carl Wilson

I’ve been a Psychic Medium for over fifteen years and I meet a lot of great people, some of them psychic. A question I get often is “who are your favorite psychic mediums?” Favorites? hmmm…

My favorites may not be yours. I understand that. I chose these four because I trust them, they are accurate, they love what they do, and have a sense of humor. These psychics deliver the message without a lot of vague references to otherworldly dimensions and the like. All the mentioned psychics use their real names. I think its kind of weird to change your name to “astrocueball7″ just because you can talk to dead people.

When these guys have to explain otherworldly “stuff”, they do so concisely and patiently.

So here are my four favorite Psychic Mediums.  I was going to call it my Top 5 and include yours truly but I talk to myself enough already!  But here is my link – http://www.RickyWood.net

1)  Amy Berry - hails from Ogden, Utah.  Amy is a down to earth and compassionate Psychic Medium.  Her style is soothing yet to the point. I truly enjoy working with Amy and  I am planning on doing workshops with her in the future.  Check out her website at www.aim2inspire.net

2) Joe LoBrutto – is Florida’s rising Psychic Medium.  He has an uncanny ability to connect with those who have crossed over.   Joe’s messages are clear and concise. His internet talk shows are very informative. Look for Joe’s book – Is There More to Life than What We Know – at his website – www.psychicmediumjoseph.com

3) Holly Matthews- Just wonderful. Gifted. Precise. I highly recommend Holly for those clients who are “newbies”. Her patient and loving readings are easy to understand. As a Reiki Master her healing abilities have helped many in the Gilbert,Arizona area. Here’s her site http:// www.azspiritualmedium.com .

4) Pat McKenna- This medicine woman has quite the reputation and all of it is excellent. She continues to use mediumship as an artform. She blends present and pastlife information to give incredible guidance. Her connection to her guides just blows me away. And this was over the phone. Her web home is here                                              http://pat-mckennaonline.com

Well there it is. My list. Feel free to comment. In the future I will do a post on readers favorite psychic mediums based on readers vote…. via the comment section.

Five long days and I’m tired of working
I’m going to see my boss today
In fifteen minutes I’ll be on the train
‘Cause I just got my pay

Now I could take and sock away my dough
And make me six percent a year
But it’s not much fun to wait around for that
When I can spend it while it’s here

“I Just Got my Pay”- The Beach Boys

Have you ever looked at your credit card statement and realized your interest rate was twice what it was the month before? Or wondered why you’re getting charged a late fee when you paid your bill on time?

Credit card companies are notorious for back-handed maneuvers like these. And they’ve been doing this for so long, it almost feels hopeless to protest.

But now, the Senate is considering a strong bill to outlaw some of their most egregious abuses.

But the bill isn’t moving, and too many senators are scared to take truly bold action against the banks. If enough of us speak out together quickly, we can make sure Congress knows we expect them to protect voters, not banks. Can you add your name now so they get the message? Clicking below adds your name:

http://pol.moveon.org/creditcards/?id=16136-11381997-UFwiXPx&t=3

The petition says: “We need a strong Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights that isn’t watered down by the big banks—and we need it now.”

To get our economy back on track, we need a functioning financial system that extends credit on fair terms to worthy borrowers like small businesses, students, and car buyers.

But as long as the banks are the ones writing the rules, we’ll continue to have a system that’s good for them and bad for everyone else. Since the early 1980s, the government has gotten rid of more and more regulations at the banks’ urging. Entire industries have sprung up built on misleading people and taking advantage of them.

Now that we’ve seen the disastrous consequences of that deregulation, we have to act.

The House bill passed by a big margin, but the Senate bill, sponsored by Senator Chris Dodd, is significantly tougher on the banks. If we don’t pass strong reform now—in this moment of anger at the industry’s wild abuses—we may not get the chance again. That’s why we need to speak out right away to make sure the banks can’t block or water down these necessary reforms.

Can you add your name now?

http://pol.moveon.org/creditcards/?id=16136-11381997-UFwiXPx&t=4