Reiki

So my last post and discussion with Julie got me thinking about Reiki. I still can't say I have healed anyone really, but it does have some interesting uses.

I especially seem connected to distance Reiki. I have used it to tell when my sister and sister-in-laws were in labor, and when they finished, for the last many babies. (Just a side note- labor must HURT- cuz it kills my hands to check the field of someone in labor!)

I have used it very successfully to relieve babies' gas pains.

I can help people with pain, tho not really fix the problem.

I have had some good results figuring out where the problem is when Gregory has been hospitalized. A few months ago, Julie asked me to work on him when he was on his way in and I texted her that there was a spot on the left side of his stomach that just sucked the energy. She called me and told me that was where he pointed when she asked him where it hurt. Then when he was going in on Friday, I was working on him and told her that it was his chest- it had never felt that way before, but the rest of his field was strong. (His field is usually really strong- strange for a chronically ill person, huh?) Turns out he had beginning Pneumonia!

I also have had a very scary experience. I was working on a friend and her lower pelvic region was like a black hole. It wouldn't really seem to take energy, it just was the worst thing I had felt. Trying to be diplomatic, I told her it was a weak area. She then told me she was just barely pregnant. I told her that the baby must need a lot of energy to start growing, but I knew something bad was happening. A few weeks later, she miscarried. Scary.

Reiki also seems good for calming. My sister calls me when her baby is unhappy and she can't figure out why, I can soothe the babe with Reiki. (Pry is gas!)

One other thing I find interesting. When they taught me both Reiki and Healing Touch, they said that when doing distance work, you must always first ask the person if you may. Mostly I do people I know, so I don't bother. Once tho, a friend asked me to work on a relative that I didn't really know. I did my routine and started working. At first I could feel the field perfectly, then it was like a huge door slamming down on me and pushing me away. After that I could not feel a thing. I asked my friend, and she admitted that the person would hate anyone trying to do energy work! No means no! :)

Anyway, I am sure I could come up with many examples like these. I didn't want anyone to think just because of my last post that I am not going to do energy work anymore. :)

Have a great week,
Anne

book of the month

This month my book pick is Trick or Treatment by Simon Singh and Edzard Ernst.

Basically this book looks at all the alternative treatments and the studies that have been done, then tells you whether it actually is worthwhile. (In a word, NO.)

The main discussions are of Acupuncture, Homeopathy, Chiropractic, and Herbal Medicine. I will give you short highlights of each.

Acupuncture: I have done it, seen no difference, and the practitioner finally told me not to come back because he couldn't help me. The book says the studies show no affect except the placebo effect. Basically, sticking the needles randomly has the same effect as doing it the "right" way.

Homeopathy: The products are so diluted that you may as well put one drop of your medicine in Lake Superior, then drink one drop out of the lake. Basically, there is NONE of the original ingredient in the finished solution. There can be a small placebo effect if you believe in it, but no lasting treatment.

Chiropractic: May be helpful if you have low back problems, but takes longer and is more expensive than traditional treatments, and is much more dangerous. If they touch your neck, you can die. If the chiro is a "straight" they have delusional beliefs and ideas that are very dangerous. They cannot help ear infection, asthma, bedwetting, learning disorders, and other problems like these. Do not take x-rays. They are unnecessary and expose you to radiation.

Herbal Medicine: Untested and dangerous. Many drugs come from plants, etc, but they are tested and you know the side effects. St. John's Wort is good for minor depression, but has interactions with other meds you may be on, and you should be aware of the side effects. They are often contaminated or adulterated.

The book also has a few pages on most other alternative treatments. Most are not proven by studies.

Note: you may have heard of the heart study that "proved" prayer worked. It was deeply flawed and many following studies disproved the theory.

To quote Hippocrates, the father of medicine:

There are, in fact, two things, science and opinion:
the former begets knowledge, the latter ignorance.

Have a good week,
Anne

great bag giveaway

I found a great green bag giveaway. I love taking my bags when I shop, but none of them actually fit in my purse. Great designs also!

http://laurasramblingthoughts2.blogspot.com/2009/08/giveaway-best-bag-ever.html

Love,
anne

t-mobile sucks

Loy called me today (yes, I was on the treadmill, she calls daily when I am!) and told me that t-mobile is going to start charging $1.50 each month for sending you a bill.

Isn't billing part of the cost of doing business? How can you charge someone for their bill? If I refuse to pay the charge, and you don't send me a bill, then why should I pay for something I wasn't billed for???

It seems like it would make WAY more sense to give people a rebate of some sort for getting online bills.

This raises another question:
Why do I hate online bills? First, I have trouble following them and checking the charges unless I have a printed copy in my hand. And it is way more hassle.

Compare the two following senarios.

Each month I recieve my statement from Wells Fargo in a nice envelope in the snail mail. I open in, compare the info to my records, and file it. Takes about two minutes.

Every month Mother gets an email (unless it got sucked in by the spam filter) saying her Wells Fargo statement is ready. She has to logon to the website, enter her password, download the statement, print it off paying for the ink and paper herself, compare it to her records, and then she makes me shred it.

Which is easier???

Especially considering our t-mobile bill is like a book. It would use fifty sheets of paper to print it out.

Yeah, that sounds like a jolly waste of MY paper. They are the ones getting paid, they should use their own paper. Unless, of course, they offer a discount that makes it worth the customer's time to do it online.

Of course, I can't find this information online. I am not sure where Laura heard it. Perhaps in her bill????

Crabby at the stupidity of big corporations,
Anne

card of the week

A bit late, due to the sinus/lymph node infection. :)

When I first started stamping, Jodi came over and had a sympathy stamp set. I thought it was very odd and laughed. Naturally, I ended up borrowing it from her shortly after and then purchasing several sets of my own. It seems sympathy cards are my most requested.... mostly from Mother.

Mother only likes cards that are religious. These don't specifically say "god" but I put the cross and the verse mentions prayer so I think she should be fine. I wanted to make some cards with texture, and since these were the first I have made since I got that notion, I ran a piece of cardstock thru the big shot with an embossing plate. The scrolls was the only thing I thought was appropriate for sympathy. (I did have one with tears(actually rain), but that didn't work out.)

The cardstock is old In Colors from SU!, I figure I have to use them up sometime. I do hate cutting things out tho, so that was a trial. :)

The card base is a brown, the texture piece is an odd blue.
The inside verse was from Papertray.

(sorry, my camera wouldn't focus today.)

Sometimes I make mistakes. One of the crosses ended up too crooked even for my "homemade isn't perfect" attitude, so I skipped the textured paper on that one.

Have a good week,

Anne

PS. Anyone else notice that blogger totally screws with your spacing when you post? I spend an hour editting the post to try and make it keep the spacing how I want!!!

gift update

I am ordering foundation today and found a cool set of eyeshadows I would love.
A92398 on QVC.com.
HA!

I showed Jackie the catalog and she is buying lots of nice stuff for herself, but I am limiting myself to the foundation and mineral veil. I just can't afford the nice eyeshadow set right now....

lol.

Have a great day,
Anne

scorched earth.. or sheets... and birthday

A few months ago I noticed my sheets and jammas had a horrid burnt smell to them when they came out of the wash. After consulting Mother, we decided something bad must have happened in the dryer, and I tried to ignore it until I could replace both sheets and jammas. Then after having the new sheets for quite a while, just this week I realized my new jammas smelled the same as the old ones, just not as bad yet. A quick sniff check showed the sheets smelled also.

Mother thought it had something to do with essential oils, but I didn't. I have used the same balm and oils for years, why would it suddenly start causing bad odors? Yesterday I had an epiphany when I was trying to think what had changed with my sheets to cause the smell. A few months before the first stench, I read somewhere that you shouldn't make your bed as soon as you get up, you should let the sheets air and dry. How would this make them stink?

Well, the first thing I do EVERY SINGLE day is sit on my bed, getting dressed, while putting sunblock on my entire body. Naturally lots of sunblock got on the comforter over the years, but when I quit making the bed, it started soaking into the sheets. Somehow combining it with the heat of the washer and dryer made the bad smell.

I went back to making my bed as soon as I get up. The comforter has NEVER smelled, even tho it has been washed. Now I just hope the bad smell can wash out of the sheets and jammas. Last time Mom washed them like 3 times with no improvement. Anyone have ideas for getting the burn smell out? I am going to ask Mom to wash them on cold and air dry for a while until the smell subsides...
She may have tried vinegar last time, I am not sure.

On another subject, I would like to throw out some birthday/Christmas suggestions if anyone cares.

(The bed is queen sized if the sheets don't unstink!)
Nickel-free earrings that are post, hoop or lever back. (No hooks, they don't fit me.)
Knit or Crochet stitch dictionary

shoot, I forget the other stuff I had thought of. Will update later. :)

Have a great week,
Anne

Don't Let Ethie See This Post!

A few months ago, the tip of my right ring finger went numb. The neurologist said it was carpel tunnel, but it didn't bother me and I figured if/when it did I would go to hand therapy, so I just ignored it.

I have been mostly knitting since then, but yesterday I decided to make a few crochet creatures for Ethan's birth. They are quick and easy, but unfortunately, I don't think I can crochet any more. Why? The finger is now numb all the way to the first knuckle! And yes, now it does bother me. :)

I guess I am stuck to reading books and knitting until I can find a hand therapist!

The good news is the guys came out really cute.
First I made a knight.


The sword is cardboard and cardstock cut with my pirate dress-ups die.

Then I thought he needed a monster to fight.

Cool hair, hey?

Have a great week,

Anne