Taking Away Their Pain

Written by Don Shetterly

Many of us who are extremely sensitive truly struggle when we see others hurting.  We want to take their pain away, but more often than not, we don't have the power to do this.  I wish I could heal and take away the pain of so many, but that's just not how life happens.


While I realize we can be there with others in their pain, there is a big difference between that and taking away their pain.  Pain is there for a reason.  I wish I understood why it is for everyone, and why it is in my own life.  I'm not that smart and I doubt very few people can truly say with one hundred percent certainty.

I see many things come through my mail promising to alleviate pain.  After all, who wants pain in their lives?  Unfortunately, most of these things are a band-aid applied to a gushing wound.  Now before you say, oh but it did take away my pain, let me explain the misconception here.

If pain and suffering are in our lives for a reason, then if someone takes it away we lose the full impact of why it was there.  If we look to others to take away our pain, we give our own personal power up to them.  If we look to outside forces to fix us and heal us, then we've neglected what our own mind and body are capable of doing.

Keep in mind that these so-called pain relief treatments, models, and remedies do not often heal the pain.  They only mask it for a short time.  I say this because if they truly healed the pain or situation in your life, then one treatment would be all you would ever need.

If someone helps you...

Instead, if someone helps you find your way from pain, then you've got the possibility of being empowered with your own mind and body to take that healing further than you ever thought was possible.  If someone helps you find the way to healing your pain, you now learn new tools that will assist you in the future.  It isn't just a one time fix.  It is like teaching someone to fish, rather than only giving them the fish.

I personally believe that pain and suffering are there in our lives to help bring us further into our own awareness of who we are.  The more we go through moments of suffering, the more we wake up and discover all that we are.  Does that make suffering easier to swallow?  Not in my view.  I still struggle with this concept even though I've come to see how true it is in my own life.

It is in understanding what that pain means to our lives and to the world, that we discover so much more about life and consciousness and all that is possible.  Without the pain, we would miss some of those things.  Without learning how to heal the pain, we would miss the lesson.

I am often reminded of the song that Garth Brooks sings, "The Dance".  The line that really stands out to me in this song is, "I could have missed the pain, but I'd have had to miss the dance."

If our focus in helping others is just to take away their pain, then we're doing them a disservice.  Sure, we don't want to see them suffer, but we need to help them learn whatever it is that they need to learn.  We need to walk beside them and hold them and be there for them while they make the discovery.  We need to walk through the fire with them, not merely dump water on the embers.

Our greatest gift we can give someone else in helping take away their pain is that we enable them to connect not only with their mind, but with their body. That connection is where the healing forces are found.  When we lift someone up to that moment and we're there walking through the fire with them, the hope and possibility they will have for their life will be multiplied many times.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2017 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
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Homeopathy Help For Cuts And Scrapes

(by Natural Healing Gal, Marie)

My next favorite Homeopathic remedy is Calendula Officinalis also known as English marigold.

I learned more about Calendula when my sister was visiting many years ago, and her children got sunburned. She asked if I had any Calendula Gel. I was not aware of the gel, so we quickly went to the local health food store to pick some up. It worked so well, I tried it on myself the next time I got sunburned…I was amazed at how quickly the burn subsided and my skin turned from red to tan!

Just yesterday, I realized my hands were getting dry (I tend to wash my hands a lot) and the skin cracked on my finger. It stung like a paper cut whenever I touched anything. I put a band-aid on it with a little calendula gel, and today the skin is mostly healed.

My sheltie Maya slipped and fell while running agility one day, and got sand in her eye. It was irritated and red. I dissolved the pellet in water, put drops in my own eyes first to be sure it would not sting, then I used it on her. It worked beautifully, her eye cleared up so fast! 

You can find Calendula at most health food stores in two forms, topical gel or pellets. It is soothing, has antiseptic properties, and stimulates the immune system. (see places to purchase this below)

I use a small amount of the gel with every bandage or band-aid I use;  just enough to cover the wound.  Broken skin, cuts and scrapes, even if they look infected, heal very quickly. A little goes a long way, and I have had my tube of gel for quite a long time!

Along with Arnica, this is another great remedy I keep in my home and in my travel first aid kit. 

National Homeopathy Center

“The English marigold is a cheerful, annual plant with deep orange flowers that open and close with the sun just like Bellis perennis, the common daisy, another of homeopathy's great healers. Calendula has been used herbally for hundreds of years in the kitchen and the sick room. The old herbalists advised that the dried flowers be added to broths in order to comfort ‘the heart and the spirits...’ Homeopaths and home prescribers are well aware of Calendula's healing benefits as a topical preparation in tinctures, creams, and salves. Fewer people know, however, that Calendula is also useful as a homeopathic remedy—potentized and prepared by a homeopathic pharmacy. In this form, Calendula is indicated for lacerated, suppurating (i.e., pus-filled) wounds—especially if they are extremely painful and if the pain is out of proportion to the injury. It promotes rapid healing and prevents infection.”  (Dee Babicke, HomeopathyCenter.org)

  Warnings And Cautions

1. Please remember--Calendula gel (ointment or salve) is used topically only!  
2. I have found that the gel does not work well on rashes! I tried it once or twice on a rash I had, and it was incredibly uncomfortable, as it is prepared with other ingredients. Always try a tiny bit on a tiny area first, if it is soothing, then continue on the rest of the area.
3. If you make up your own 30c Calendula remedy with ONE pellet in 4 ounces of pure water (for preparation details, see my post on 1/9/17 -- Starting with Homeopathy) you can take it orally, use a spritzer to spray it on topically, use it as a mouth rinse to heal and prevent infections, or use it as an eye wash for eye infections.
4. Do not use any gels or ointments internally or in your eyes!

About Homeopathy

Here is a little more general information about homeopathy:

It is recognized by the World Health Organization, which says it is the second largest system of medicine used in the world today.

Homeopathic remedies are used to trigger the body’s own natural immune system to heal itself. The remedies are highly diluted substances from the plant, animal and mineral kingdom.

Here are some tips from the National Center For Homeopathy (NCH) for general homeopathic use:

• Homeopathic remedies come in many different "potencies" or strengths. 6X, 6C, 12X, 12C, 30X and 30C are safe for home prescribing with each being stronger homeopathically than the previous one. Lower potencies tend to need more repetitions than higher potencies to get a healing response.
• Higher potencies, such as the 200C, 1M, and 10M, tend to work faster and are useful for more serious complaints, such as bad burns or head injuries with concussion. For the typical home prescriber, however, using the lower potencies is recommended.”

Places To Purchase Calendula

1. Califlora Calendula Gel (1 oz) - Amazon
    
2. Boiron Calendula Officinali Pellets - Amazon
    
3. Homeopathy First Aid Kit - Natural Health Supply

Marie - Natural Healing Gal

Website:   (www.mikamar.net)

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Marie is a regular columnist on Mind Body Thoughts.  She writes the Natural Healing Gal monthly column.  This article is written by Marie.

To learn more about her and see all her other articles, go to Marie's Page, Natural Healing Gal.

Check her page out to see the Medical Disclaimer

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2017 by Don Shetterly and Marie

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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Urinary Tract Infections Be Gone - UTI

(by Natural Healing Gal, Marie)

Ok, I do not know about men (sorry guys) but I do know that many women are familiar with these three letters. If you are not, lucky you!

I know them all too well. I was plagued by urinary tract infections for many years. Back and forth to the doctor’s office, urine samples, waiting for treatment with that awful, burning pain. Of course, the antibiotics, which always resulted in a yeast infection, and I had to learn to manage that with probiotics/more medication.

I had them so often, I knew what it was the very moment it started. The problem was, it would progress to unbearable pain so quickly, and when I traveled I was away from my doctor and I could not get help fast enough. If it was a weekend, I ended up in the emergency room and could barely walk.

UTI’s (Urinary Tract Infections) are one of the most common infections. According to Dr. Mercola:

“Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the second most common type of infection in the body, sending more than eight million people to their health care providers every year in the US alone.  Women suffer from UTIs far more often than men, and more than 50 percent of women will develop a UTI during her lifetime.” (Source:  Dr. Mercola)

UTI’s are also common among the elderly in nursing homes.  My mother in law was in a nursing home at 89 years old. While she was there, she had UTI’s on numerous occasions and it was quite challenging, although the care that she received there was wonderful. In the elderly, the complications can become severe, and they often cannot express their discomfort.

Look up the antibiotics used for Urinary Tract Infections online…there are so many of them and the list is growing. The bacteria are now becoming more resistant to antibiotics, and they are becoming more and more difficult to treat.

I tried everything to prevent them. Gallons of water, cranberry juice, (no need to mention the other things here, we will save that for another blog!  You name it, I tried it! Nothing seemed to work on any kind of regular basis. Even my female pets got them, thankfully it was not common for them.

There are homeopathic remedies that will work, but I found something quicker and easier for this one. D-mannose.  See Dr. Mercola's Treatment for Urinary Tract Infections.


I learned about his treatment many years ago, and I was desperate to try anything. I did not care whether the research said it worked or not! If it was safe and natural, I was giving it a go. To me, it was a miracle.

“D-mannose  is a naturally occurring sugar that sticks to the E. coli bacteria that most commonly causes UTIs, so it can be effectively “rinsed” out when you urinate.” - Dr. Mercola

Well, it worked. Every single time. It is always in my first aid kit. When I found it was safe to give to dogs, I used it for them and it worked just as well! Although it is a natural sugar that is related to glucose, it does not act the same as sugar in the body.

I thought everyone knew about it by now; but if I mention it to my students for their dogs, to this day, most people have not heard of it.

You can find it in a health food store or online. It comes in capsules or powder. I currently use Soloray that I buy on Amazon. I have used many brands over the years, but this brand seems to work the best for me. D-Mannose with CranActin Solaray 60 VCaps by Solaray

 

At first sign of an Urinary Tract Infection, I take two capsules three times a day. I can prevent them by taking one or two a day, if I think I am at risk.

My doctor did not know, and no one else told me, but I'm glad I discovered these on my own.

If you have a wonderful doctor, (or veterinarian, or health practitioner of any kind) as many of us do, treat him or her with respect and courtesy! They work hard and have a very difficult and a very stressful profession. They can be your ally. But they should also treat you with the same respect. I will always ask lots of questions, do all of my own research, and make my own decisions, because my health is in my own hands.

Doctors practice medicine, and they do not know everything, no one does. If I come across one who thinks they do, I am out of there and on to the next one. I am responsible for my own health and I take it seriously. I am not a doctor, but I am not a mindless sheep and I am not made from a cookie cutter. We are all different, and what works for someone else may not work for me.

I have been using d-mannose for almost 18 years, and it has just been validated as a treatment in the last couple of years. My discovery of it helped get me off of the antibiotic merry go round, and on to more pleasant activities!

Marie (www.mikamar.net)

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Marie is a regular columnist on Mind Body Thoughts.  She writes the Natural Healing Gal monthly column.  This article is written by Marie.

To learn more about her and see all her other articles, go to Marie's Page, Natural Healing Gal.

Check her page out to see the Medical Disclaimer

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2017 by Don Shetterly and Marie

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

---

Scatter Approach To Healing

Many years ago when I was working one of my first jobs, I saw how many would treat animals that were sick.  It was the scatter approach to healing.  Even though people thought there were doing the best thing they could do, they were actually harming the animals.

I still remember when a vet told me to discontinue the medication we were putting in the water.  I remember saying, "but the animals will die".  He looked at me and said, "but right now you are killing them more by adding this to the water."  Just so no one misunderstands this, we were killing the gut bacteria by over medicating the water, even though we thought we were helping the animals get better and not die.

In healing modalities of people, I often see the scatter approach to healing.  Everyone goes for this procedure or that procedure, this medication or that medication, this philosophy or another.  They keep piling one thing on after another.  They keep going for the latest fad and sensational thing that someone says will be the magic pill.

Unfortunately, this further harms the people they are trying to help.  I've seen it time and time again.  Its like if someone can't see immediate results, then they make the assumption that what they are doing is not working.  Even though the results may be there and someone is not able to see them, it is almost like - what's next?  What's the next thing I can try.

Stunned At Conversion Disorder Treatment Advice

Today I was reading an email alert that I get about a condition I know all too well.  I am stunned at what I read.  The advice given by the medical site on this situation should have a warning label attached to it "harmful if followed".

On an Allnurses Yahoo Group, a question is asked and the answers are unbelievable.  The question is if an elderly patient believes she needs a wheelchair, do you allow her to have it?  My thought is, why not?  What would bring anyone to even ask this?  I'm sure that not all on this yahoo group think this way, so please don't think I'm painting the entire group in the same manner.

One response said they didn't know in this case, but with the kids they were caring for, a doctor told them to make the kids walk no matter what.  Please pause for a moment while I pick myself up off the floor because of disbelief.  How idiotic of medical advice can you get?  How harmful can medical caregivers such as these on this site be?

Overcoming Depression

Depression can be so haunting this time of year for many. There are many reasons that it shows up. Anyone who experiences depression does not need to be reminded of these reasons. They are all too familiar. Depression is real and it is not a sign of weakness or that you are doomed.

On Psychology Info.com, it states that "depression is a "whole body" illness, involving your body, mood, and thoughts. It affects the way you eat and sleep, the way you feel about yourself, and the way you think about things. A depressive disorder is not the same as a passing blue mood. It is not a sign of personal weakness or a condition that can be willed or wished away. People with depressive illness cannot merely "pull themselves together" and get better. Without treatment, symptoms can last for weeks, months, or years. Appropriate treatment, however, can help most people who suffer from depression." (See Psychologyinfo.com for more information)

At one time, the medical professionals told me that I would be on medication for most of my life. I took the medication (Zoloft) and it did help. At the time, I was very suicidal so the medication helped stabilize me. When that happened, I was able to start working on things in my life that I needed to work on. I think it is important to note that for someone to just take the medication alone is not sufficient. Anyone taking medication needs to be seeking further help through whatever means you can to help overcome the depression. At the minimum, therapy is essential treatment with depression.

The side effects of this medication were real and horrible to deal with. Because of how difficult they were, I was determined to not stay on the medications for the rest of my life. It was a struggle at times to deal with the depression without medication. However, as time passed and as I became stronger, I was able to live without them. In addition to the medication, I was in weekly therapy to work on the issues in my life that were ripping me to shreds in my body and my mind. Without that therapy, the medication would have been my only saving grace at the time.

Later in my life, I met Dr. Paul Canali, and began going through a new, ground-breaking treatment where I was healing the source of my pain, depression and anxiety. At the time, I did not realize that this was even a possibility. Now, I have learned that I have so much power within myself to heal the depression and anxiety. No longer am I taking medications for this and it has been many years since I stopped taking them. I am not masking or wishing away the depression as I have learned to deal with the sources of it, in my life.

Depression is a serious matter that needs to be addressed. No matter what, it is not a life sentence. You can heal from it if you want to. All of us have so much power within ourselves to heal our body and our mind. If we take our courage and go deep within, we will find freedom and healing. It is up to each one of us to find treatment that helps us heal and becomes more human.


(c) 12/01/10 by Don Shetterly - Use by permission only.

Male Survivor 2010 Conference

MaleSurvivor
National Organization against Male Sexual Victimization
2010 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

Date: March 18 – 21, 2010
Place: John Jay College of Criminal Justice • New York City
More Info: http://malesurvivor.org/

Plan on attending our next, even more groundbreaking conference in 2010. It promises to be, as it always has been, a transformative experience. Here’s just a sampling…

All-day Institutes with:
• Mike Lew
• Steve LePore and Rick Goodwin
• Ken Followell and Daniel Blausey
• Mikele Rauch
• Tony Rodriguez and Mari Lee
• Denise Hien
• Richard Gartner and Ernesto Mujica


Featured Speakers:
• Dominic Carter: Prominent New York City newscaster, author of No Momma’s Boy
• Robert Oxnam: China scholar and former president of the Asia Society, author of the memoir A Fractured Mind
• Victor Vieth: Executive Director of National Child Protection Training Center
• Ken Adams: Author of Silently Seduced and When He’s Married to Mom
• Howard Fradkin: Director of MaleSurvivor’s Weekends of Recovery program
• Larry Lessig: Renowned law professor, author and advocate for accountability

Special themes:
• Advocacy
• Abuse within Institutions (religious, educational, military, and correctional)
• Addictions
• Treatment

CEs are being administered by IVAT
Watch your e-mail for more Conference information
Since 1995 MaleSurvivor has been providing multiple services to male survivors of sexual abuse, their family/friends and the therapeutic community. MaleSurvivor is a volunteer run 501(c)3 organization and all donations are recognized as deductible on US tax returns. You may contribute at our website http://www.malesurvivor.org or through Network for Good at https://www.networkforgood.org/donate/process/expressDonation.aspx?ORGID2=411831829. Please consider making a donation today.