subscribe!
Sample Health Letter
Welcome to Dr Dane’s Health Letter – Issue #1!
This is a sample issue so you can see what you’re signing up for.
My Health Letters are certified Hype-Free Zones 
My main intention for this new website and newsletter is to offer valuable information and thought-provoking ideas to support you in Creating Peace in Your Body & Mind.
We have a lot to deal with in the modern world, with stress coming from many sources. Conflicting advice abounds as different egos and interests compete for your attention, and your money.
Meanwhile, the most basic and foundational principles of health and peace of mind have been largely overlooked. Knowledge of these basic and simple truths can strengthen your immunity to the misinformation which is so common these days.
I want to share these foundational principles and some cutting edge information with you in these Health Letters. Some of it I’m sure you already know, as much of it is common sense.
In this case, I want to support you in making it a regular practice in your daily life. Knowledge is only of value when it is used. Learning to access your inner resources more effectively will make this much easier.
Here’s to your awareness, your choice, and your health. May you truly Be Empowered!
Featured Article – July 8, 2009
How to Cook a Frog (or Stress a Human)
“The trouble with being in the rat race is that even if you win, you’re still a rat!”
Lily Tomlin
You’ve probably heard the story of the frog in a pot of water on the stove. I can’t imagine doing this experiment myself, but apparently someone did, and here’s what happens. If the water is heated slowly, the frog doesn’t notice until it’s too late, and it can no longer leap out of the pot!
The hapless frog can serve as a metaphor for you or I, and humanity as a whole. These are times of increasing personal, cultural and environmental stress. The complexity of our life and the extent of our commitments tend to increase gradually, and we keep adapting to the hotter water . . .
A Fork in the Road
If we’re paying attention, however, our heart and cerebral cortex can grok (comprehend) the situation. We can see the direction we’re headed. With that awareness, we can choose one fork in the road, or the other:
- We can choose to ignore the warning signs that have been tapping us on the shoulder. This will greatly increase our risk of winding up with some type of stress-related illness.
- Or, we can wake up to the reality of our situation and make a course correction. We can start by taking better care of ourselves. I think it was Mark Victor Hansen who said,
“If we don’t take time for health, we will eventually have to take time for disease.”
A Helpful Question
We don’t have be victims of stress. In most cases we have the power of choice. We can say “No” to certain things, and “Yes!” to others. When the choice is hard, it can be helpful to ask this simple question regarding each option: “Will this bring me peace?” Or you could ask, “Is this truly in my highest good?”
Though our mind will try, this is not a question it can answer from its limited perspective. It’s really a question for our intuitive heart. We might feel a response in our “gut,” too. If you are facing a challenge, try sitting with this question in regard to your possible responses and notice what you feel in your body.
Oftentimes we know what we need to do, but hold back because it seems like a risk. We might fail, or someone might get upset. If the question is about ending an unproductive “obligation,” we might feel guilty.
These are good times to ask the question. Stepping out of our comfort zone is always a risk. Yet it’s the only way we can truly invite positive change into our life.
Conscious Choice
In the hundreds of choices we make every day, we are literally choosing between health and disease; life and death. But because so many of these choices are little ones, they seem trivial at the time.
“Disease starts out humbly in the body as some imperceptible imbalance, and proceeds slowly from there. The outcome of a full-blown disease may be devastating, but it has been built up through insignificant everyday actions.
What we eat and drink, how we behave, how our emotions affect us – these are small things. When they support well-being, we don’t give them a second thought.
But no action is lost on the body. We are always building. Every bite of food, every breath, every thought, is like laying a brick, even if we aren’t aware that we are building.”
Deepak Chopra, Return of the Rishi, pp 91-92
We often make crucial choices unconsciously, on “autopilot.” This happens when we’re not aware that we even have a choice, or cannot see the path of possibilities before us.
Alternatively, we can make a commitment to “waking up,” to becoming aware of our choices, and where each choice will most likely lead us. We can ask Spirit for clarity and guidance when we face tough choices. We can ask for the strength to follow our heart and walk down the path we intuitively know is best for us. We can make positive life changes, one step at a time.
Conscious choice is the most powerful tool we have to change our lives for the better, and it works on all levels. I consider it a Divine Gift, and I’m hoping you can see it that way, too.
Subsequent Health Letters and website articles will expand on this theme and offer support for integrating these ideas into your life. I hope you will join me!
This segment was excerpted from How Stress Happens – Part 1. The full article includes the Signs & Symptoms of Stress, a laugh & cry “teaching” story, and more.
You can subscribe to this Health Letter by using the form at the top of this page. You’ll be asked to reply to a confirmatory email to complete the sign-up process. I’m committing to a monthly Health Letter to start, and it may come twice a month.
Supporting Article: The Art of Being Your Own Best Friend. It will help you gain clarity for your choice-making!
How Stress Happens – Part 2 will continue where this leaves off. We’ll begin exploring the powerful hidden causes of stress: our thoughts and beliefs. I refer to them as “hidden causes” because they are so important, but rarely acknowledged as factors that contribute to our stress load. Please stay tuned!
http://www.BodyMindPeace.com/?page_id=494
News
The Big News is that I now have a part-time office in town (Ashland, OR). I’m available M, W, & F afternoons. Putting your mouse over Dr Dane’s Practice near the top of this page will show you the menu of all the details, including the Sliding Fee Scale. It feels good to be doing healing work again!
Big news #2 is that the BodyMindPeace website is up! But you already know that, because you’re looking at part of it! There is much more to do, of course, but it’s a good start.
I recently attend the basic PSYCH-K seminar. This program offers a simple method of identifying and changing subconscious limiting beliefs that are holding us back from our true expression and achieving our goals in life.
Belief change is something I’ve been interested in for many years because our subconscious beliefs are what’s really “driving our bus.” Psychologist Rob Williams developed the process, and the initial results are impressive. I’m excited about the possibilities! I’ve come across many gems over the years, and I have a feeling that this may be another one.
Click this link to read a short article about Belief Change with PSYCH-K.
Inspiration
After considerable searching, I discovered a nice site for positive news. Here’s their synopsis of a cool story:
Adam Bender, the Child Baseball Star with One Leg
8-year-old Adam Bender lost his leg to cancer as a baby, but his disability hasn’t stopped him from becoming a star player in baseball and several other sports.
By Kathryn Hawkins.
This link will bring you to the short article and an inspiring video:
http://gimundo.com/news/article/adam-bender-the-child-baseball-star-with-one-leg/
And here’s a cool 3-minute video of a guy doing acrobatics while in free fall from high altitude. Looks like fun, unless you have a fear of heights .
http://gimundo.com/videos/view/freeflying/
Featured Quote
The mind, once expanded to the dimensions of larger ideas, never returns to its original size.
Oliver Wendell Holmes
Featured Photograph
I invite you to spend a little time with this image, and see if you can feel its soothing effects in your mind and body. A couple of nice, deep breaths are sure to enhance your experience. Enjoy!
Deep into a morning rose . . .
Your constructive comments on this newsletter and website are encouraged and appreciated!
Blessings to You,
Dr Dane
