Insights into Holistic Healing

​Sometimes we have to carry illness with grace. By grace I mean deep acceptance and compassion for what our bodies are going through.
 
While we may not be able to recover full health, grace gives us the courage to continue on when the path is rocky.
 
Most of you know that three months ago, I had a kidney transplant.
 
I was incredibly lucky.  I found an altruistic living donor, an angel who gave me years of life and health. My transplant team couldn’t have nicer or more available.  My nephrologist of twenty years assured me that he would help me get through whatever was in store for me.  I have good health insurance and most of my medical costs were covered. 
 
 And still, this has been a hard journey for me.
 
I have moments of feeling fear and uncertainty.  I still feel deeply vulnerable.  I know that for the rest of my life I will need to be on immunosuppressant medication. 
 
As wonderful as my healthcare team is, I’m tired of medical appointments and blood work.  I wish I no longer had to track all the numbers that determine my health.
 
In these moments, I lean into grace.  I count my blessings.  I think of all the people who have touched my life.  I have deep compassion for the 80,000 people in this country who are still waiting for a kidney.  I have deep compassion for everyone who struggles with pain and chronic illness.
 
Illness is a hard journey.  It’s one that is not so much discussed.  The miracle of medicine (and it truly is miraculous) comes with the cost of discomfort and a type of loneliness.  I can count of one hand the number of people I know who have either been a kidney donor or recipient.
 
In the midst of pain and discomfort, grace reminds me I am not alone.  Grace reminds me that my life is worth getting the care I need.  Grace reminds me that in getting care I’ll be able to help others in need.  Grace reminds me that illness is a part of the human condition.
 
The great thing about grace is that it’s always available.  I encourage you to take a moment right now to tap into something that expresses life’s beauty.  Maybe it’s an object, a place, a song or a piece of art.
 
Think about an angel in your life.  Someone who showed up when you were in need.
 
If you feel lost or unmoored, feel the ground beneath your feet.
 
Say these words to yourself,  “I am loved.  I am cared for.  I am important.  I am present in this moment.  There is a spaciousness in life that holds me.”
 
These are the ways that we find grace.
 
If you need encouragement, do reach out to me.  It you’ve had moments of grace in your life, I’d love for you to share them with me.
 
May you find grace in your most challenging moments.
 
From my heart to yours...

​
​If you’re part of the over 60% of people who make New Years resolutions with good intentions but are unable to keep them, this newsletter is for you.
 
You mean well, you try hard, but life gets in the way.
 
Think of a resolution as a seed that gets planted.  We have an idea. We want to make a change in our life. We’re excited. We set goals, make promises, tell ourselves this year we’ll eat our vegetables, exercise more, be kinder. We truly mean these things. Yet for many of us by April we’re back to our same old habits. What has happened?
 
I think that we have forgotten to nurture the seed. No one expects a seed to grow without water and sun. And no one expects the seed we plant today to turn into a full grown tree tomorrow. Growth and change take time.
 
When you make a resolution, ask yourself these questions:

• What am I going to do to nurture this dream?
• How often do I have to metaphorically water it?
• What environment will it grow best in?
• How many weeks will it take for my resolution to take root?
• How will I know when the tiny seed grows roots?
• When will my seedling send up shoots through the soil?
• What will my plant (resolution) look like when it’s fully grown?

 
Take time to answer these questions.  It may require many hours.  Pay attention to how easy or difficult  this process is.  Write your answers down.  If you’re not able to do this, you might want to pick a new year’s resolution that is easier to implement.
 
With nurturing and care and love our dreams will take form. Do get in touch with me if you need help in this process.
 
Wishing you a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year!

Bonnie

"With time and patience the mulberry leaf becomes a silk gown" ~Chinese Proverb

​I traveled to New Orleans a few weeks ago. I knew I had truly arrived when our Lyft driver said "How ya doing, Miss Bonnie?" I had made a lunch reservation and when we arrived I was greeted with "Welcome, Miss Bonnie." On a shuttle bus to Mardi Gras World the driver asked if this was my first time in New Orleans. When I said it was my second, he replied "Welcome Home."
 
New Orleans is a great place to travel to. The food, music, warm weather, welcoming people make it so special. Being there feels like getting a big hug.
 
But I want to tap into something deeper. The importance of social connection. Not just because it makes us feel good -- although this is important.  But because it makes us healthier.
 
Here's what the experts have to say:

• In the personal health section of the New York Times, Jane Brody has been reporting on research that loneliness can have a negative impact on health "by raising levels of stress hormones and inflammation, which in turn can increase the risk of heart disease, arthritis, Type 2 diabetes and dementia."

 

• Dr. Dhruv Khullar, a physician and researcher at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York writes "A wave of new research suggests social separation is bad for us. Individuals with less social connection have disrupted sleep patterns, altered immune systems, more inflammation and higher levels of stress hormones."

 

• And research presented at the 2017 Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association shows that "Loneliness and social isolation may represent a greater public health hazard than obesity, and their impact has been growing and will continue to grow."

 
Here is "Miss Bonnie's" take on all this:

• Know that no matter what, you are not alone. Just take a minute and breathe that in. Say it to yourself. Write it in your journal. Breathe it in with each breath.

 

• Reach out. I mean this truly. I am here for you. Send me an email. Schedule an appointment. Acupuncture can help you connect more fully with yourself. I do think it can be an antidote to loneliness. And I will be with you, listen to you, open my heart.

 

• If I'm not the right person to help you, reach out to someone who is. I know there is someone out there who will be there for you. In all the ups and downs of my life (and there have been many), there was always someone. Sometimes it was a friend, sometimes a medical professional. Sometimes it was a favorite singer/song writer, a favorite author. A movie that moved me to tears.

 

• Be expansive in your outreach. We don't always know when/where/who what we need will come from. And sometimes it arrives from unexpected quarters. Just trust that it will be there.

 

• Practice making connections when you are out in the world. Take the extra moment to say hello to your mail carrier, the wait staff at your favorite coffee shop or restaurant, the neighbor walking their dog.

 

• Join a community of like-minded folks. Take a yoga or Qi Gong class. If it's your thing, go to a house of worship. Whether you are a believer or not, the spirit is always there for you.

 
One of the reasons that I love Eastern Medicine is because of its emphasis on connection. In the 5 element/5 organ system that we use no one organ/element exists on its own. The energy of the liver feeds the heart, the heart energy feeds the spleen, the spleen energy feeds the lungs, the lung energy feeds the kidneys, the kidney energy feeds the liver. The cycle is completed and begins again.
 
As people we may feel isolated, but we never exist in true isolation.
 
With you in spirit…
 
Bonnie

​Sources:
www.nytimes.com/2017/12/11/well/mind/how-loneliness-affects-our-health.html
https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/13/shaking-off-loneliness/
www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2017/08/lonely-die.aspx
www.nytimes.com/2016/12/22/upshot/how-social-isolation-is-killing-us.html

February is almost here, and I’m thinking about Valentine’s Day! For me it’s a day not just about romantic love, but about all forms of love and how love is expressed.
 
I want to share with you an exercise that I've done over the past month. It's called "Where Does Love Live?" Each night I wrote a sentence or two about where  love lives that day. It's been a great way to check in about what I'm doing, thinking and feeling.
 
Here are notes from my first few days writing about where love lives.
 
12/21  On a dark night, driving on the highway from Massachusetts to  Cleveland, remembering my first road trip with Dan 14 years ago. (We  met carpooling to Bethel, Maine for a ski trip & we’ve been together ever since.)
 
12/22 Sitting between my tall, beautiful nieces on the way to lunch at Stone Oven. Watching the way they connect with each other.
 
12/23 Staying at my mother-in-law’s condo. Being able to relax, read, study...no responsibility.
 
I'm realizing how often I jump from task to task without reflecting on what truly brings me joy. Don't get me wrong, I live a good life -- I love my work, my husband, my home. But it's easy to get into routines and wake up day after day thinking that there is a little something missing.

By reflecting on where my heart is at the end of each day, I feel a kind of awakening. I get the realization of what is working in my life, as well as where I want to be heading. You may too!
 
Roses and chocolate may be symbols of love, but why not look into you heart and see what it has to say. You may be surprised.
 
If you try this exercise, feel free to share your thoughts with me.  
 
Sending loving and healing energy…

Bonnie