tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82049889946476481572024-03-14T02:56:24.743-07:00Moonbeams and Eco-DreamsMoonbeams and Eco-Dreamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08921310649674603891noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204988994647648157.post-38563357927770962442018-03-30T12:05:00.000-07:002018-03-30T12:05:26.962-07:00Kiva Campaign - 2017 Report<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Below are the loans we donated to Kiva borrowers in 2017. As you can see, even though not much comes in via the Amazon Affiliate program to this site lately, funds still get dispersed to low income entrepreneurs in the developing world. This is because when borrowers pay back their loans I reissue the funds to other entrepreneur. To learn more about my Kiva fundraiser program click the Kiva Campaign tab at the top of this page.</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h5HLGp293mM/Wf4spkZZRiI/AAAAAAAAASY/4meWjVBQDCA5MTrtfz8-iWpfYXAecoaEACLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot%2B%25285%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="519" data-original-width="922" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h5HLGp293mM/Wf4spkZZRiI/AAAAAAAAASY/4meWjVBQDCA5MTrtfz8-iWpfYXAecoaEACLcBGAs/s320/Screenshot%2B%25285%2529.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Moonbeams and Eco-Dreamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08921310649674603891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204988994647648157.post-71272242172892377902017-11-13T14:18:00.000-08:002018-03-30T12:09:32.052-07:00Kiva Campaign - 2016 Report<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">I've decided to do all my annual Kiva loan updates at once. Something has changed with Amazon's affiliate program and I haven't figured out how to get the product links to register. Fortunately, funds that were brought in before the change are still in circulation. Here is what we did in 2016. Thanks for your help! </span></div>
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What we got in affiliate links:</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gpX0HND9-TM/Wf4n5HErnBI/AAAAAAAAARw/WBKrDPVRmckdVamhKw3_oTgqIfLyPR_wgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot%2B%25282%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="260" data-original-width="463" height="179" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gpX0HND9-TM/Wf4n5HErnBI/AAAAAAAAARw/WBKrDPVRmckdVamhKw3_oTgqIfLyPR_wgCLcBGAs/s320/Screenshot%2B%25282%2529.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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What I donated</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7YfCAer6h4s/WgoZZ6k89jI/AAAAAAAAATA/RIhRhEHqp3EREo3PxIt3jsFhNj3Q7kbkQCLcBGAs/s1600/Kiva%2B2016%2B17.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="339" data-original-width="846" height="128" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7YfCAer6h4s/WgoZZ6k89jI/AAAAAAAAATA/RIhRhEHqp3EREo3PxIt3jsFhNj3Q7kbkQCLcBGAs/s320/Kiva%2B2016%2B17.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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How many loans in 2016<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x_VKlGhbcF0/Wf4rIK_yl0I/AAAAAAAAASM/aBahrBn-i1gqEdqkS9NYcFFl8criIXEawCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot%2B%25285%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="415" data-original-width="738" height="179" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x_VKlGhbcF0/Wf4rIK_yl0I/AAAAAAAAASM/aBahrBn-i1gqEdqkS9NYcFFl8criIXEawCLcBGAs/s320/Screenshot%2B%25285%2529.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Moonbeams and Eco-Dreamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08921310649674603891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204988994647648157.post-44950251749409551512016-11-26T06:26:00.005-08:002017-10-29T15:12:26.199-07:00We Were Diagnosed With Breast Cancer in Dreams, Then in Real Life<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sQGXjL6h1wY/WDmawfmLZbI/AAAAAAAAAQY/pEZWTMyX6qAvQZq4Y99Wt0fRbqYKYb4QwCLcB/s1600/Warning%2BDreams%2BPicture%2BCollage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sQGXjL6h1wY/WDmawfmLZbI/AAAAAAAAAQY/pEZWTMyX6qAvQZq4Y99Wt0fRbqYKYb4QwCLcB/s320/Warning%2BDreams%2BPicture%2BCollage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>“<strong>It's time for you to get cancer.”</strong></i> <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="Textbody" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt;">
Phrases like that kept waking me from dead sleep throughout
the summer of 2013. By day I mocked it. Gee, I forgot I made that cancer
getting appointment. How inconvenient! By night I worried what cruel claim my
subconscious would submit next for my consideration. But mostly life went on as
normal, that is, until my next routine breast screening that
winter. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="Textbody" style="margin: 0in 0in 14.15pt;">
When my previous mammogram
returned clear the radiologist casually mentioned that I have dense breasts.
Having more fibrous than fatty breast tissue, mammograms sometimes miss
malignancies in women with this condition.</div>
<div class="Textbody" style="margin: 0in 0in 14.15pt;">
<em>I became one of them.</em></div>
<div class="Textbody" style="margin: 0in 0in 14.15pt;">
Haunted by those dreams, but
under no medical suspicion of cancer, I requested an MRI that year since it
detects better through dense tissue than mammography. Between getting scanned
and receiving the results another ominous dream invaded my sleep. A woman in a
lab coat told me I had breast cancer. A week later her words were confirmed by
my real life doctor.</div>
<div class="Textbody" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt;">
More shocking than being diagnosed with cancer in a dream was
learning that I am not alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Around the
time of my diagnosis Dr. Larry Burk, M.D. was recruiting women who dreamed of
breast cancer before their actual diagnoses for a study.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Larry is a former section head in
musculoskeletal radiology at Duke University and co-founder of the Duke Center
for Integrative Medicine in 1998. His inspiration for the breast cancer warning
dreams study were the precognitive dreams of a friend and those of two medical
community peers.</div>
<div class="Textbody" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt;">
</div>
<div class="Textbody" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt;">
Warning Dreams Proceeding the
Diagnosis of Breast Cancer: A Survey of the Most Important Characteristics was
published in the May/June Issue of Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing.
Post publication Dr. Burk introduced some of the women so we could compare
notes. The commonalities between our experiences are remarkable. Most, but not
all of us, had tumors missed by mammography. Our dreams motivated each of us to
get screened, and in some cases, to press for a second look. And, we all
believe responding to the urgency of these dreams saved our lives.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="Textbody" style="margin: 0in 0in 14.15pt;">
Paulette Wyssbrod Goltz was
told in her dream: “<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="main"></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Your
mother has cancer, she has three months to live and you have a tumor in your
right breast.”</i> Paulette dutifully got mammograms each year because of this
dream, which came back normal. The fifth year, having just passed another
mammogram, Goltz noticed a patch of orange flaky skin on her right breast and
insisted on a more in-depth screening. She was informed that her cancer had
been growing for about five years. And Paulette’s mother? She was diagnosed
with cancer shortly after the dream and passed away six months later.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="Textbody" style="margin: 0in 0in 14.15pt;">
Kathleen Kanavos had recurrent
dreams insisting she go back to the doctor despite her normal mammogram because
she had cancer. Her doctor refused to consider there could be a problem given
the unremarkable screening. Then Kat had another dream that shook her to the
core: “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A guide took my hand, placed it on
my right breast and said, ‘You have cancer right here. Feel it? Go back to your
doctor tomorrow. Don’t wait for an appointment.’ I started to cry in my dream
and told him that the doctors wouldn’t listen to me now any more than before.”</i>
The dream guide told Kat she needed exploratory surgery. Her doctor wasn’t
having it. He wanted to wait six months and re-screen. Yet, with amazing aplomb
Kanavos convinced him to order the surgery. Much to his surprise, a tumor,
right where Kat predicted. Waiting six months would have given Kat’s Stage 2
cancer more time to metastasize out of control.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="Textbody" style="margin: 0in 0in 14.15pt;">
Like myself and Kathleen, Wanda
Burch had a series of dreams, each revealing more information. Fortunately,
Burch’s doctors took her dream data seriously. “He (the surgeon) asked if I
dreamed the location of the tumor. I had. He gave me a felt tip pen and asked
me to draw the location on my breast. The location was accurate and he passed
along information to my oncologist on the nature of my dreaming and asked him
to participate actively with me in the healing process. I had an aggressive
cancer that did not show up on a mammogram. One of my dreams warned me of this
and encouraged me to aggressively pursue the only information available on the
diagnosis – my dreams. I did. Dr. Barlyn shared later that had it not been for
my dreams, I would have been dead in a year with no symptoms.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="Textbody" style="margin: 0in 0in 14.15pt;">
Seventeen women from the study
are in remission, some for many years. Only one is no longer with us: Dr.
Burk’s friend, Sonia Lee-Shield. Like the rest of us, Sonia dreamed she had
cancer. Unfortunately, her doctors did nothing. Lee-Shield's lump was dismissed
as normal breast tissue and a year later she was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast
cancer that eventually metastasized, taking her life. “If there’s one thing I
could impart to everyone is that doctors and specialists make mistakes and when
an inner voice starts screaming or dreaming you should listen.”, wrote Sonia on
her blog in 2013.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="Textbody" style="margin: 0in 0in 14.15pt;">
There’s no common conception in
modern America for what happened to us. This sort of thing is typically
relegated to the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">don’t-look-at-it-don’t-even-think-about-it</i>
woo bin. You can see a pin drop on my Facebook wall if I mention these scary
cancer dreams. Yet, the notion of predictive dreaming across history and
cultures isn't farfetched. Indigenous regions of the world consider such
nocturnal content rather ordinary. And, ancient Greeks traveled to special
temples to incubate healing dreams. Even notable <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="mso-comment-date: 20160417T0915; mso-comment-reference: "Abbott Ju_1";"><span style="color: black;">20<span style="mso-text-raise: 4.0pt; position: relative; top: -4pt;">th</span></span></a><!--[if !supportAnnotations]--><!--[endif]--> century psychiatrist Carl Jung believed dreams could
reveal useful information about the body.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="Textbody" style="margin: 0in 0in 14.15pt;">
I don’t write this article to
say, - look at us; we have this super power. I’d rather take a nap and I
wouldn’t expect that to interest anyone else either. But if we are right, that
heeding warning dreams of illness saved our lives, this may have relevance
beyond our own experiences. Sharing our stories might inspire others to pay
closer attention to their own health related dreams. It could encourage doctors
to listen carefully when such cases present, as did Wanda Burch’s surgeon.
Reality is, we need more tools for breast cancer screening. A recent Cochrane
review found that breast screening has no impact on mortality rates, resulting
in changes to longstanding recommendation guidelines. We're now told to begin
biennial mammography at age fifty rather than starting annually at forty as
before. Many women now worry if early detection is even likely under these new
guidelines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can people be trained to
tune into their bodies to detect health problems early, as we in the study
appear to have done spontaneously? That potentially life-saving question is
worth asking and research is the most logical place to start. This article is a
call for such research and I’m grateful to Dr. Burk for taking pioneering first
steps in that direction.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="Textbody" style="margin: 0in 0in 14.15pt;">
Though distressing, I never
refer to my precognitive cancer dreams as nightmares. Not anymore. They were
gifts from my psyche. Had I not heeded their warning, by now I might be
planning my end of life care instead of my next vacation. As Wanda Burch says, <em>“I
live because I dream.”<o:p></o:p></em></div>
Moonbeams and Eco-Dreamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08921310649674603891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204988994647648157.post-61800955806206049792016-11-26T06:26:00.004-08:002017-10-29T15:12:47.591-07:00We Were Diagnosed With Breast Cancer in Dreams, Then in Real Life<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sQGXjL6h1wY/WDmawfmLZbI/AAAAAAAAAQY/pEZWTMyX6qAvQZq4Y99Wt0fRbqYKYb4QwCLcB/s1600/Warning%2BDreams%2BPicture%2BCollage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sQGXjL6h1wY/WDmawfmLZbI/AAAAAAAAAQY/pEZWTMyX6qAvQZq4Y99Wt0fRbqYKYb4QwCLcB/s320/Warning%2BDreams%2BPicture%2BCollage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="Textbody" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; text-align: center;">
<i>“<strong>It's time for you to get cancer.”</strong></i> <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="Textbody" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt;">
Phrases like that kept waking me from dead sleep throughout the summer of 2013. By day I mocked it. Gee, I forgot I made that cancer getting appointment. How inconvenient! By night I worried what cruel claim my subconscious would submit next for my consideration. But mostly life went on as normal, that is, until my next routine breast screening that winter. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="Textbody" style="margin: 0in 0in 14.15pt;">
When my previous mammogram returned clear the radiologist casually mentioned that I have dense breasts. Having more fibrous than fatty breast tissue, mammograms sometimes miss malignancies in women with this condition.</div>
<div class="Textbody" style="margin: 0in 0in 14.15pt;">
<em>I became one of them.</em></div>
<div class="Textbody" style="margin: 0in 0in 14.15pt;">
Haunted by those dreams, but under no medical suspicion of cancer, I requested an MRI that year since it detects better through dense tissue than mammography. Between getting scanned and receiving the results another ominous dream invaded my sleep. A woman in a lab coat told me I had breast cancer. A week later her words were confirmed by my real life doctor.</div>
<div class="Textbody" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt;">
More shocking than being diagnosed with cancer in a dream was learning that I am not alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Around the time of my diagnosis Dr. Larry Burk, M.D. was recruiting women who dreamed of breast cancer before their actual diagnoses for a study.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Larry is a former section head in musculoskeletal radiology at Duke University and co-founder of the Duke Center for Integrative Medicine in 1998. His inspiration for the breast cancer warning dreams study were the precognitive dreams of a friend and those of two medical community peers.</div>
<div class="Textbody" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt;">
</div>
<div class="Textbody" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt;">
Warning Dreams Proceeding the Diagnosis of Breast Cancer: A Survey of the Most Important Characteristics was published in the May/June Issue of Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing. Post publication Dr. Burk introduced some of the women so we could compare notes. The commonalities between our experiences are remarkable. Most, but not all of us, had tumors missed by mammography. Our dreams motivated each of us to get screened, and in some cases, to press for a second look. And, we all believe responding to the urgency of these dreams saved our lives.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="Textbody" style="margin: 0in 0in 14.15pt;">
Paulette Wyssbrod Goltz was told in her dream: “<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="main"></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Your mother has cancer, she has three months to live and you have a tumor in your right breast.”</i> Paulette dutifully got mammograms each year because of this dream, which came back normal. The fifth year, having just passed another mammogram, Goltz noticed a patch of orange flaky skin on her right breast and insisted on a more in-depth screening. She was informed that her cancer had been growing for about five years. And Paulette’s mother? She was diagnosed with cancer shortly after the dream and passed away six months later.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="Textbody" style="margin: 0in 0in 14.15pt;">
Kathleen Kanavos had recurrent dreams insisting she go back to the doctor despite her normal mammogram because she had cancer. Her doctor refused to consider there could be a problem given the unremarkable screening. Then Kat had another dream that shook her to the core: “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A guide took my hand, placed it on my right breast and said, ‘You have cancer right here. Feel it? Go back to your doctor tomorrow. Don’t wait for an appointment.’ I started to cry in my dream and told him that the doctors wouldn’t listen to me now any more than before.”</i> The dream guide told Kat she needed exploratory surgery. Her doctor wasn’t having it. He wanted to wait six months and re-screen. Yet, with amazing aplomb Kanavos convinced him to order the surgery. Much to his surprise, a tumor, right where Kat predicted. Waiting six months would have given Kat’s Stage 2 cancer more time to metastasize out of control.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="Textbody" style="margin: 0in 0in 14.15pt;">
Like myself and Kathleen, Wanda Burch had a series of dreams, each revealing more information. Fortunately, Burch’s doctors took her dream data seriously. “He (the surgeon) asked if I dreamed the location of the tumor. I had. He gave me a felt tip pen and asked me to draw the location on my breast. The location was accurate and he passed along information to my oncologist on the nature of my dreaming and asked him to participate actively with me in the healing process. I had an aggressive cancer that did not show up on a mammogram. One of my dreams warned me of this and encouraged me to aggressively pursue the only information available on the diagnosis – my dreams. I did. Dr. Barlyn shared later that had it not been for my dreams, I would have been dead in a year with no symptoms.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="Textbody" style="margin: 0in 0in 14.15pt;">
Seventeen women from the study are in remission, some for many years. Only one is no longer with us: Dr. Burk’s friend, Sonia Lee-Shield. Like the rest of us, Sonia dreamed she had cancer. Unfortunately, her doctors did nothing. Lee-Shield's lump was dismissed as normal breast tissue and a year later she was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer that eventually metastasized, taking her life. “If there’s one thing I could impart to everyone is that doctors and specialists make mistakes and when an inner voice starts screaming or dreaming you should listen.”, wrote Sonia on her blog in 2013.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="Textbody" style="margin: 0in 0in 14.15pt;">
There’s no common conception in modern America for what happened to us. This sort of thing is typically relegated to the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">don’t-look-at-it-don’t-even-think-about-it</i> woo bin. You can see a pin drop on my Facebook wall if I mention these scary cancer dreams. Yet, the notion of predictive dreaming across history and cultures isn't farfetched. Indigenous regions of the world consider such nocturnal content rather ordinary. And, ancient Greeks traveled to special temples to incubate healing dreams. Even notable <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="mso-comment-date: 20160417T0915; mso-comment-reference: "Abbott Ju_1";"><span style="color: black;">20<span style="mso-text-raise: 4.0pt; position: relative; top: -4pt;">th</span></span></a><!--[if !supportAnnotations]--><!--[endif]--> century psychiatrist Carl Jung believed dreams could reveal useful information about the body.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="Textbody" style="margin: 0in 0in 14.15pt;">
I don’t write this article to say, - look at us; we have this super power. I’d rather take a nap and I wouldn’t expect that to interest anyone else either. But if we are right, that heeding warning dreams of illness saved our lives, this may have relevance beyond our own experiences. Sharing our stories might inspire others to pay closer attention to their own health related dreams. It could encourage doctors to listen carefully when such cases present, as did Wanda Burch’s surgeon. Reality is, we need more tools for breast cancer screening. A recent Cochrane review found that breast screening has no impact on mortality rates, resulting in changes to longstanding recommendation guidelines. We're now told to begin biennial mammography at age fifty rather than starting annually at forty as before. Many women now worry if early detection is even likely under these new guidelines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can people be trained to tune into their bodies to detect health problems early, as we in the study appear to have done spontaneously? That potentially life-saving question is worth asking and research is the most logical place to start. This article is a call for such research and I’m grateful to Dr. Burk for taking pioneering first steps in that direction.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="Textbody" style="margin: 0in 0in 14.15pt;">
Though distressing, I never refer to my precognitive cancer dreams as nightmares. Not anymore. They were gifts from my psyche. Had I not heeded their warning, by now I might be planning my end of life care instead of my next vacation. As Wanda Burch says, <em>“I live because I dream.”<o:p></o:p></em></div>
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/q_sQIQvwCII" width="560"></iframe>Moonbeams and Eco-Dreamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08921310649674603891noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204988994647648157.post-49806578402349598312016-03-07T14:49:00.004-08:002017-10-29T15:13:42.314-07:00Breast Cancer Warning Dreams: Interview with Rocio & Her Mother<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DGSFBrnDGZE/Vt4DeY7c67I/AAAAAAAAAP8/JCOZLlN0f3k/s1600/dreams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DGSFBrnDGZE/Vt4DeY7c67I/AAAAAAAAAP8/JCOZLlN0f3k/s320/dreams.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
This interview with Rocio Aguirre and her mother, Amparo, is the last in my Breast Cancer Warning Dreams interview series. Myself and the others profiled in this series were part of a study featuring women who were diagnosed with breast cancer in dreams and then in real life. Amparo does not speak English so her daughter Rocio acts as translator. Some of Rocio's own dreams leading up to her mother's diagnosis are featured at the end. <br />
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<span 10pt="" style="line-height: 105%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Can you tell us about yourself? Your life no<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span>w. </span></span></div>
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<span 10pt="" style="line-height: 105%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>My </b></span></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>mom (her name is Amparo) lives in Ibague, Colombia where she has lived almost all her life. She has 2 daughters who live in a different city. She is a retired woman who spends most of her time doing exercise, reading and participating in social and family events. She is very interested in activities that nurture her physically, mentally and spirituality. She also loves to sing (she was a professional singer) and continues doing so for fun from time to time at social or family events.</b></span> </div>
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Can you set the stage of your life at the time of this dream that suggested you had breast cancer? </span></span><span 10pt="" style="line-height: 105%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Were dreams about health issues common for you or did this come out of left field?</span> </span></div>
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<span 10pt="" style="line-height: 105%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>She was going through grief. My dad had died in an accident 2 years ago which was very shocking for everyone since it was a sudden death. She was still very affected and had not fully recovered from this lost. We had<span style="color: blue;"></span> moved her from her 35-year house where she lived with my father to a smaller but more comfortable apartment. At the same time, she was learning to be more independent and making her own decisions. She was going through the beginning of a totally new stage in her life.</b></span></span></div>
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<span 10pt="" style="line-height: 105%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>My mom had always received information through dreams but this dream came out of left field. It was the first time she had a dream so shocking about what seemed something serious affecting her health. She had this dream about 3 months before the cancer diagnosis on June 1st, 2012. </b></span></span></div>
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<span 10pt="" style="line-height: 105%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i>“I am in my apartment lying down on my bed. Suddenly I notice that there is a lot of blood coming out of my breast (both) as if they were hurt. My breast is naked. I see the blood running down my skin. I feel anguish and concerned. I am so terrified that I awaken.”</i></span></span></blockquote>
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<span 10pt="" style="line-height: 105%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Once awakened, she had the same feelings (fearful, anguish and concerned). She had a hunch that her oldest daughter (me) could be in danger because the doctors had discovered a cyst in her daughter's breast. She thought the dream was warning her about it. She never imagined it was about herself.</b></span></span></div>
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<span 10pt="" style="line-height: 105%;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">My mom told me the dream and I encouraged her to go see the doctor ASAP. I had a hunch. She did not do the screening immediately but a couple of months later.</span></b></span></div>
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What was the outcome of your screening?</span> </span></div>
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<span 10pt="" style="line-height: 105%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>She had cancer in her left breast that could be treated with mastectomy alone and a drug for 5 years (to prevent further cancer diagnosis).</b></span></span></div>
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Did you tell your physician or his/her staff about the dream? If so, how did they respond? </span></span></div>
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<span 10pt="" style="line-height: 105%;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">No, she did not. Generally, doctors are skeptics so she did not want to tell the dream.</span></b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
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Do you believe your dream and subsequent actions you took as a result saved your life? If so, how?</span> </span></div>
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<span 10pt="" style="line-height: 105%;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Yes, for both of us because the cancer was discovered on time. She did not have to go through aggressive treatments. It was ok only with a mastectomy but she did not have to receive radiotherapy or chemotherapy for example.</span></b></span></div>
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<span 10pt="" style="line-height: 105%;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I was participating in the PsyberDreaming Conference organized by the IASD (International Association for the Study of Dreams) in September or October 2013. Dr. Burk was a presenting about this topic and asked for volunteers for his research on warning dreams and breast cancer. I told my mom about it and she was interested to talk about her story. I translated the information.</span></b></span></div>
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<span 10pt="" style="line-height: 105%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers about your experience?</span> </span></div>
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<span 10pt="" style="line-height: 105%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Make of your dreams a valuable resource of inner wisdom. So, write them down, pay attention to them and learn to interpret the symbols that come through them. They are simply extraordinary to guide you in all areas of your life!</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>I have been very left brain so connecting with my intuition in waking state was difficult. It started with my dreams when my conscious mind could not filter the information. As I learned to trust, I could get a huge support from that inner guidance. I believe that we need to become acquainted with different ways of knowing and being in the world and dreams are a great way to do it. We need an approach that embraces diversity and an integrative thinking that encourages us to change our fragmented worldview for a wider perspective. We are part of a bigger, more interrelated whole.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Returning to my dreams and my mom. My dreams started more than a year before my mom was diagnosed with cancer (same happened with my father's death: I began dreaming about his death more than a year before he had the accident).</b></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 105%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I'm in an unknown place with many people. Some people are sitting while others are lying on the floor. Somebody is sick…I think is my mom. I see hospital stuff, devices. Someone is giving orders. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 105%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I’m getting in line at a hotel counter. I see my friend Adri who is next to me. She is wearing a black transparent and short dress. Suddenly I realize I’m staring at her breast. She notices it. I feel embarrassed and try to explain that what I’m looking at is that she didn’t put on a bras and everything is exposed. </span></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 105%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Sep 1, 2011 – The bag with medical stuff</span></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 105%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I’m in a house with several rooms. I’m in one of the rooms. My auntie Orlanda is there with me and gives me a bag with medical stuff (shots and rubber bands) that my cousin (who is a doctor) sent to me. I know I don’t need it now but I should keep it for a future use. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 105%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">During the same night I had another dream: someone very close to me is sick but I can’t remember who she is.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 105%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I’m in a house. I think I had been at the hospital. I feel something on my back. I pull it…It’s a long and thin tube coming out of my back. I’m scared! What’s that? Now I notice all the tubes that come out of my body and I know I was intubated …for oxygen? My parents are with me. I should call the health insurance to ask them to remove those tubes from my body. Would that be painful? I wonder. My doctor cousin is by my side but she can’t do it. I go to a room where the procedure can be done…I ring a bell. A doctor assistant appears and takes me to a little room to change my clothes. I see 2 doctors relaxing on a table.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 105%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This reminds me of the drainage tubes my mom had when she had the mastectomy in August 2012. Two medical specialists took care of the surgery: an oncologist and a plastic surgeon.</span></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 105%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Oct 11, 2011 – The stain of blood </span></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><i>"I have been working in the corporate world within the learning industry for more than 20 years. Some years ago I felt a strong calling to serve others and so, I embarked on a journey of self-discovery and healing that led me to pursue a new career that brought more meaning to my life. Today I am a certified professional coach, have an M.A. in transpersonal Psychology and have studied a variety of healing modalities such as mindfulness, art therapy, EFT, and Dreamwork. My new career is related to help people who don’t have clarity of their path and talents and feel lost or stuck, to be the leaders of their lives, access their inner wisdom to tap into their greatness, be aware of their deepest desires, have full, authentic and meaningful lives and so recover a sense of balance and wholeness while sharing confidently their gifts with the world. In short, I support people in living purposeful and fulfilled lives."</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 105%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Other Interviews In This Series</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 105%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><a href="http://moonbeamsecodreams.blogspot.com/2016/01/breast-cancer-warning-dreams-interview.html">Dr. Larry Burk</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 105%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><a href="http://moonbeamsecodreams.blogspot.com/2016/01/i-was-diagnosed-with-breast-cancer-in.html">Wanda Burch</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 105%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><a href="http://moonbeamsecodreams.blogspot.com/2016/03/breast-cancer-warning-dreams-interview.html">Kathleen Kanavos</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 105%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><a href="http://moonbeamsecodreams.blogspot.com/2016/01/breast-cancer-warning-dreams-interview_22.html"></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 105%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><a href="http://moonbeamsecodreams.blogspot.com/2016/01/breast-cancer-warning-dreams-interview_22.html">Sunni Ingalls</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 105%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><a href="http://moonbeamsecodreams.blogspot.com/search/label/Paulette%20Wyssbrod%20Goltz">Paulette Wyssbro</a>d-Goltz</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 105%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><a href="http://moonbeamsecodreams.blogspot.com/2016/02/breast-cancer-warning-dreams-interview.html">Diane Long</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 105%;"><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://moonbeamsecodreams.blogspot.com/2014/02/breast-cancer-how-my-body-knew-before-i.html">My Story</a></span></span></div>
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Moonbeams and Eco-Dreamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08921310649674603891noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204988994647648157.post-49257981609407790882016-03-03T15:08:00.000-08:002016-03-03T15:08:46.477-08:00Breast Cancer Warning Dreams: Interview with Kathleen O'Keefe Kanavos<br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">This interview with Kathleen O'keefe Kanavos is part six of my Breast Cancer Warning Dreams Series. The women in these interviews and myself were part of a study that profiled women who were diagnosed with breast cancer in dreams and then in real life. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">M&E</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Can you set the stage of your life at the time of this dream that suggested </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">you had breast cancer? Were dreams about health issues common for you or did </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">this come out of left field?</span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Kathleen O'keefe Kanovos</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>This was definitely out of left field. According to my yearly check –up I was the picture of perfect health. All my mammograms, blood tests and physical exams “proved” to the medical community that my cancer concerns were unwarranted. However, my recurrent precognitive dreams would not be ignored and hounded my every sleeping and waking hour. Nightmares often accompany health related dreams.</b></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>My daily routine was to get up-whenever I felt like it- pick out a tennis outfit, join my team for an inter country-club match, decide where to go for lunch, go out with friends for dinner. Go to bed, get up, and repeat. My life was very different from the life I lead in-service today. </b></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>It all began one stormy night when my husband and I were in the bathtub together looking up through the skylight at the full Halloween moon when I remembered a recurrent dream that kept telling me to go back to the doctor despite my healthy mammogram because I had breast cancer. That was the beginning of the end of my old care-free life.</b></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Fortunately, I had a husband who supported me in my old life, and still does today, in my new one. </b></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Sometimes you don’t know what you are made of until you start to fall apart and your best parts pop out and hold you together. We are made up of so much more than id, ego and super ego. Often, bad things happen to good people. That’s life. But, you don’t have to be a victim of circumstances. Listening to our dreams can save us from being a victim at all.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> M&E</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How did the dream unfold? Did it move you to seek screening right away or did </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">you wait?</span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b> Kathleen O'Keefe Kanavos</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>Three days after my memory of the dream in the bathtub, I had an appointment with my gynecologist, Dr. Wagner, whom I also used as my general practitioner. “I can’t feel anything on or around your breast, Kathy.”</b></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b> “Perhaps it’s easier to feel during my menstrual cycle,” I replied from a contorted pretzel position with my arm held over my head. He shook his head as he manipulated the area again. I’m torn between relief and concern. Is nothing really there? Did he miss it, or were the voices of alarm in my head just residual anxiety from Mom’s recent death from colon cancer. But, Peter had felt it, too. </b></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b> “You had a blood test and mammogram less than six months ago and everything was fine,” Dr. Wagner said. He helped me up and showed me a copy of the report. “I think what you felt was just a fibrous tumor that is sensitive to your menstrual cycle. Let’s just keep an eye on it. Come back in six months and we’ll check it again,” he concluded with a reassuring smile, and snapped my chart shut.</b></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b> That night’s strange dream sent me scurrying back to Dr. Wagner. I had been enjoying my dream when suddenly it froze, much like the screen on a computer freezes, and a pop-up window appeared, also like one on a computer. My Spiritual Guide/Guardian Angel dressed like a monk in a brown hooded robe belted with a knotted rope and leather sandals stepped through the window and said, “Come with me. We have something to tell you.” I obediently followed him into a room I call the room between realms; a place that is neither of the earth nor the dead, yet the dead can visit to share information. It is a parallel universe of consciousness. A guide took my hand, placed it on my right breast and said, “You have cancer right here. Feel it? Go back to your doctor tomorrow. Don’t wait for an appointment.” I started to cry in my dream and told him that the doctors wouldn’t listen to me now any more than before. “They just keep giving me the same tests over and over. You help me.” My guide reached into the pocket of his robe and handed me a tiny white feather no bigger than a feather that escapes a pillow and glides to the bedroom floor. “Use this feather as a sword to fence with in your verbal battles with the doctors and you will win against scientific facts. You need exploratory surgery. If you present your case to the doctors as though you were an attorney standing before an incredulous judge that dislikes you, you will win,” he said, then turned and walked out of my dream. I was outside the room between realms as the window disappeared. My previous dream started up again right where it had left off. Time had stood still. </b></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b> “You want an exploratory surgery! I can’t take something out that isn’t there. An operation is a serious decision, and in your case unfounded and unnecessary.” My doctor is upset. So am I, but for a different reason. His concern is that I’ve overreacted to an “invisible spot.” Mine is that I haven’t reacted enough to this damned spot. </b></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b> As a doctor, his war chest is armed with indisputable medical evidence, three mammograms, blood tests and physical exams that all point to perfect health. In mine I have an angel feather from a dream. I dug into my mental chest, pulled out the tiny feather and imagined pointing it him. His defense is logically indisputable. Yet, I pleaded my case like a lawyer to convince him to do what I want and not what he wanted –play the “wait and see” game. Six months from now may be too late. But, since I am the patient and he the doctor, I am at his mercy. I’m taking a giant leap of faith here, so “voices,” don’t let me down! I silently prayed while mentally pinching my feather between my fingers. Then I turned to face my medical opponent, who I must win over to become an ally to live. </b></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">M&E</span></b></span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What was the outcome of your screening?</span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b> Kathleen O'Keefe Kanavos</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>The first warning bell tolled in my brain when my doctor pulled the privacy curtain behind him in the little recovery cubical. The second one gonged when he took my hand. “Pathology didn’t like what they saw when they cut the tumor open,” he said. That shocked the s*#t out of me and my nausea was momentarily replaced by panic.</b></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b> “Is it cancer?” I held fast to the side of the gurney and braced myself for the answer I already suspected.</b></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b> “Yes, I’m sorry. I’ll get your husband and also refer you to a specialist now.” </b></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b> The specialist I requested in your office when you told me I was too young for cancer? I thought.</b></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b> So my dreams had been right, the doctors and tests wrong. With my surgeon’s words, the first shot of my ensuing battle had been fired and it is not a warning shot across my bow. It is point-blank into my breast. I glance down at my painful wound and weep. </b></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>PATHOLOGY HAD JUST CoNFIRMED MY WORST NIGHTMARE. </b></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b> This uphill march began my Alice in Cancerland descent down the dark rabbit hole of crisis. The corner has been turned. There is no going back to my previous life. Like Alice, I was falling, falling with no bottom in sight and little hope of a soft landing.</b></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">M&E</span></b></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Did you tell your physician or his/her staff about the dream? If so, how did </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">they respond?</span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Kathleen O'Keefe Kanavos</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b> Yes and no. Five years later two of my New York doctors walked into the examining room with a look of concern on their faces and asked, “Are you psychic?” It turned out that a dream I had had concerning my treatment had been right again. I finally told them the whole story. They told me to write a book ad that they planned to tell the story at every cocktail party they attended. “Your dream story will be the talk of the town.” I sent my Boston doctors an autographed book.</b> </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">M&E</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Do you believe your dream and subsequent actions you took as a result saved </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">your life? If so, how? </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><b>Kathleen O'keefe Kanavos</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>Absolutely! If I had followed my doctors suggestion the first time and waited six months for a second set of tests my stage 2 aggressive cancer that was also in a lymph node would have had time to grow and spread out of control. Six months would have been too late. If I had listened the second time when my doctors told me was too healthy to qualify for an MRI, my recurrent stage 4, 9x11 cm lobular cancerous area would not have been found in time. I was on the edge of doom. </b></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> M&E</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How did you come to be included in Dr. Burk's study?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b> Kathleen O'keefe Kanavos</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>A friend of a friend of a friend contacted us and we then met by email and later by phone. Kelly Sullivan Walden was one of those friends, and I credit her with Dr. Larry Burk and I meeting for the first time. We then met in person at IASD; the International Association for the Study of Dreams, where we later did presentations together</b>. </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> M&E</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?</span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b> Kathleen O'keefe Kanavos</b></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>What is truly amazing Suzanne is that we all spend one-third to almost half of our lives sleeping. Whether we remember them or not, we dream...every night, and even during the day with Daydreams. Yet, for many people, dreams remain an "X" file because in our Western culture they are looked upon as useless, nonsensical, random firings of an over-active, over-stimulated brain. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Your dreams can save your health, wealth, relationships and love-life. We often forget that we go to bed each night with the smartest person in this world? YOU! And, the only person who can answer all your questions and in some ways, save your life.</b></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Here are my 4 tips on how to live a fulfilled and happy life:</b></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal;"><b> </b></span></span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Don’t take no for an answer. “No!” means start again at the next level up. Think YES!</b></span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal;"><b> </b></span></span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Don’t be dismissed. Stand in your power and speak your truth. </b></span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal;"><b> </b></span></span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Be the squeaky wheel until you are heard. </b></span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal;"><b> </b></span></span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Learn to dance in the rain, sing in the wind, and make lemonade out of a storm.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes;">M&E</span></span></i><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Tell us about your life now.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;"><b>Kathleen O'Keefe Kanavos</b></span><br />
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</b></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>After surviving breast cancer three times that was missed by the medical community and the tests on which they relied, but uncovered in my dreams, I spend much of my time in the service of others, helping women, and men, learn how to believe in themselves and their dreams, so they can stand in their power and speak their truth when facing adversity. My missed recurrence was stage four, considered terminal, yet here I still am, sharing my experience in your interview.</b></span></i></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>I turned my lemons into lemonade and have often found others, like yourself, who turned their rotten potatoes into vodka, and we party with wonderful people like Dr. Larry Burk, to celebrate life and the power of our life-saving dreams. I used my experiences to write an International Best-Seller and multi award winning book titled; Surviving Cancerland: Intuitive Aspects of Healing. I am a Dream, Health, Wealth & Relationship Expert who believes dreams can diagnose your life and often ask guests on my radio and TV shows, “Did you have a déjà vu or did a dream come true?” Inspirational/Keynote speaking is one of my loves, along with being a multi magazine columnist and avid blogger. I guess you could say sharing dream-health information is a big must for me. </b></span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b></b><br />
</span></i></span> <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>My story is in many books including Chicken Soup for the Soul: Dreams and Premonitions. My columns are in </b><span style="color: #c00000;"><b>Cape Women Online Magazine</b></span><b> as a Cancer Q&A, </b><span style="color: #c00000;"><b>Wellness Women 40 and Beyond-</b></span><b> Dream Queen columnist, Women Voices Magazine where I have two columns, one on cooking based on my recipes written during treatment that take 15 minutes or less and are organic. The second column is SOUL and is dedicated to dreams and spirituality. It is with great pride that I tell EVERYONE I will be on the cover of the June issue of the magazine, & </b><span style="color: #c00000;"><b>R.A.Bloch Cancer Foundation Hotline Counselor & Mentor</b></span><b>. My weekly TV and Radio shows require much planning but are worth every second. It is my hope to interview the women you have interviewed on my live streaming skype radio show Wicked Housewives™ </b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b> </b></span><b>Club. </b></span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b></b><br />
</span></i></span> <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>When Epoch Times did an article on my dreams and about being in Dr. Larry Burk’s study we were contacted by other doctors doing similar studies and research, which is very encouraging. We plan to add some of the information in the book we are busy writing together, Dreams That Can Save Your Life.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b> </b></span><b>My focus right now is fulfilling my destiny; sharing that we are never alone and our dreams are Sacred doorways to Heaven.</b> </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You can learn more @ </span></i><a href="http://accessyourinnerguide.com/"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;">http://AccessYourInnerGuide.com</span></span></i></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></span></div>
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<b>Other Interviews In This Series:</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://moonbeamsecodreams.blogspot.com/2016/01/i-was-diagnosed-with-breast-cancer-in.html">Wanda Burch</a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://moonbeamsecodreams.blogspot.com/2016/01/breast-cancer-warning-dreams-interview.html">Dr. Larry Burk</a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://moonbeamsecodreams.blogspot.com/2016/01/breast-cancer-warning-dreams-interview_22.html">Sunni Ingalls</a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://moonbeamsecodreams.blogspot.com/2016/02/breast-cancer-warning-dreams-interview.html">Diane Long</a></div>
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<a href="http://moonbeamsecodreams.blogspot.com/search/label/Paulette%20Wyssbrod%20Goltz">Paulette Wyssbrod Goltz</a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://moonbeamsecodreams.blogspot.com/2014/02/breast-cancer-how-my-body-knew-before-i.html">My Story</a></div>
Moonbeams and Eco-Dreamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08921310649674603891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204988994647648157.post-63552078869693378772016-02-22T13:16:00.001-08:002016-02-22T13:24:53.176-08:00Breast Cancer Warning Dreams: Interview With Paulette Wyssbrod Goltz<br />
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<b>This interview with Paulette Wyssbrod Goltz is the 5th in my Breast Cancer Warning Dreams series. The women featured in this series and myself were in a study profiling women diagnosed with breast cancer in dreams and then in real life. The study, authored by </b><a href="http://moonbeamsecodreams.blogspot.com/2016/01/breast-cancer-warning-dreams-interview.html"><b>Dr. Larry Burk M.D</b></a><b>., was published in the May/June issue of Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing.</b></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">M&E</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Can you tell us about yourself?</span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="color: blue;"></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Paulette Wyssbrod Goltz:</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I live in a small town on
the Texas coast. I moved here when I went on permanent disability from cancer
treatment. I also went back to school at that time and finished a BS in
Psychology. Currently I am a freelance
writer. I write for three online platforms. I have a pen name I use to
self-publish on Amazon, and I have written two novels (fiction) that have been
sent to publishers. Basically, I am a writer/author! </span></b></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">M&E:</span></div>
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Can you set the stage of your life at the time of this dream that suggested you
had breast cancer?</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Paulette:</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I was working as a manager for a large multi-family housing
company. It was a high stress job because it was a rather new concept called
LIHTC and there was so much more to the job than normal management. I called it
working for Corporate America. I was single. I just moved back to Houston,
Texas from southern California. I was making good money. Basically it was a
time in my life when everything was going my way and I had the freedom to do
whatever I wanted with friends, etc.</span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">M&E:</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Were dreams about health iss<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><b></b><b></b>ues common for you or did this
come out of left field? </span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Paulette:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">This dream came out of left field.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>I have always had
message dreams but never about health. In the dream a voice said to me “your
mother has cancer, she has three months to live and you have a tumor in your
right breast.” I remember waking up, turning on my bedside lamp, looking around
my bedroom to see if anyone was there, and then at the clock. It was just after
2: a.m. I told my sister about the dream the next day.</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">M&E</span></div>
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How did the dream unfold?</span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Paulette:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>A couple weeks later my mother did have cancer and
was given three months to live. She actually lived six months though.</b></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">M&E </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Did
it move you to seek screening right away or did you wait? </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"><b>Paulette:</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"><b>I got regular
mammograms. I did the yearly thing without fail because two of my older sisters
had breast cancer.</b></span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">M&E</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
What was the outcome of your screening?</span><span style="color: blue; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Paulette:</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>All of my mammograms for the next
five years were supposedly OK. I found the cancer. I was getting dressed one
morning and noticed a patch of skin on my right breast that looked like an
orange peel. It was the size of a silver dollar. The minute I saw it I knew. I
went directly to my regular doctor and she said “it’s probably nothing” she did
a breast exam. Also I had just had my annual mammogram and it came back OK. I
told the doctor “I need to get another mammogram, I know what this is, I don’t
care what the last mammogram said. I dreamt about this five years ago.” She
kept trying to push the mammogram came back clean thing and she could not feel
anything during the breast exam but she finally relinquished. So, she referred
me to a hospital clinic, and they did a different type of mammogram where they
put sticky things around the area of the orange peel skin. I waited for the
results, and when they sent me in for an ultra-sound and tissue removal I knew
I had breast cancer. Three days later it was confirmed. Cancer in my right
breast.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">M&E:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span><b></b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span><br />
Did you tell your physician or his/her staff about the dream? If so, how did they respond?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Paulette:</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Both my
regular doctor and my oncologist did not respond to the dream when I told them
about it. I saw the same oncologist my
mother had and I did tell her about the dream. She was a feisty old doctor and
she listened but did not say anything. But, after the surgery, it turned out
that the tumor had been growing for about five years, was grade 2, stage 2, and
in three lymph nodes. The dream was in the late summer of 1998 and the
diagnosis was November 2003. So the dream was correct. They only listened but did not respond.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">M&E:</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
Do you believe your dream and subsequent actions you took as a result saved your
life?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Paulette:</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">It would have been nice had it been discovered earlier because my
treatment plan would have not been so aggressive. I took the right actions by
following through with mammograms yearly and doing breast exams but none of
that helped in finding the cancer. I have often thought that perhaps I should
have told my doctor about the dream but then I seriously wonder what her
response would have been since the mammograms came back clean. </span></b>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span><br />
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">M&E:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How did you come to be included in Dr. Burk's study?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b></b><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Paulette:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I saw a CTA on Dr.
Northrop’s FB page about being told about breast cancer in a dream.</span><b></b><br />
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">M&E</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers about your experience?
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Paulette:</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>If you have a dream that warns you about a health condition, push it until
someone listens to you. Regardless of their response.</b></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">M&E:</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I couldn't agree more.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Other Interviews In This Series:</span></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://moonbeamsecodreams.blogspot.com/2016/01/i-was-diagnosed-with-breast-cancer-in.html">Wanda Burch</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://moonbeamsecodreams.blogspot.com/2016/01/breast-cancer-warning-dreams-interview.html">Dr. Larry Burk, M.D.</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://moonbeamsecodreams.blogspot.com/2016/01/breast-cancer-warning-dreams-interview_22.html">Sunni Ingalls</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://moonbeamsecodreams.blogspot.com/2016/02/breast-cancer-warning-dreams-interview.html">Diane Long</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://moonbeamsecodreams.blogspot.com/2014/02/breast-cancer-how-my-body-knew-before-i.html">My Story</a></div>
Moonbeams and Eco-Dreamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08921310649674603891noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204988994647648157.post-89210428958127443952016-02-04T16:23:00.001-08:002016-02-10T06:35:54.424-08:00Breast Cancer Warning Dreams: Interview with Diane Long<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Diane Long</td></tr>
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<br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">M & E:</span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Can you set the stage of your life at the time of this dream that suggested you<br /> had breast cancer?</span> </span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><strong>Diane Long: </strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><strong></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><strong>I have a home based floral studio where I specialized in weddings, and
often, in matters of the heart. In late January 2011, a client called to send
flowers to a friend who was in hospice home care, and could I design a floral
arrangement with more scent,like lavender and gardenias? She started to cry
and was very emotional. She said she found me online and was looking at my
website and just loved all the beautiful flowers of weddings that I had
designed. She saw a picture of me. She stated that I looked so much like her
friend,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>who was always smiling and loved
life, but simply said her battle was over now. A couple days later I had a
dream that I was having lunch with my cousin and telling her I had the big C.
However we were laughing and giggling and telling funny stories. So, when I woke
up, it was not with dread, but just a fleeting thought of my last week’s
client.</strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">M&E: </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Did the dream move you to seek screening or did you wait?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Diane Long: </span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><strong></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">A couple days later I came down with twenty-four flu like symptoms and
fever, really sore<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>muscles, which I
thought that I had played too much tennis the day before. The following day I
had a deep pain in my left breast with a red dot. Two days later the dot was now
as big as a half-dollar.</span></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><strong>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">I m</span>ade an appointment with my medical
group HMO doctor. The doctor on duty did a clinical breast exam felt no
lumps, acknowledged it seemed like a mastitis infection and prescribed some
antibiotics. She said do a follow up in two or three weeks if it does not clear
up. I asked her about mastitis; because I thought that only comes from breast
feeding and these girls have been dried for 14 years! I mention something about
breast cancer. She looked startled, dismissed me, and said, "Cancer does not
appear over night. “. </strong></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><strong></strong></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><strong>That evening as a result, I came home and started to
research information on the internet (Google doctor:o), input all my symptoms
and up pops an article that was posted just that <em><u>same day</u></em> from a research professor at University of Michigan about
inflammatory breast cancer, how it's not that rare. His article stated it’s
just that the primary care doctors are misdiagnosing it as Mastitis.</strong></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">M&E:</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Did you tell your physician about the breast cancer warning dream? What was his response?</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><strong>Diane Long: </strong></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><strong></strong></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><strong>The next day I actually
called a research physician at the hospital. We chatted for a few minutes
and I told him about my symptoms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> H</span>e got
very quiet and simply said,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Dreams are
very creditable. Do everything you can. Your life depends on it!”.</strong></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">M&E: Did you get in pretty fast?</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Diane Long: </span>So the next day I made another
appointment with a different doctor. He agreed with the other primary medical
group doctor and stated, “Cancer and tumors take years to developed and if you
were my mother or sister I would tell you the same thing. Just take the
antibiotics."</strong></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><strong><br />
This time I believe I went mad dog, used some profanities and told him: “No,
you have to research this! It could be breast cancer!". Then I just blurted out, </strong></span></span></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><strong><em><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">“Look I have dreams that have always guided
me in trouble times, ever since I was a little girl. Please, I’m trying to
save my life. I was told<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I need to have
a punch biopsy and ultrasound, because sometimes you don’t see it in a
mammogram, which I had just nine months ago.".</span></em> </strong></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><strong>I left his office no better off
than before I came; just a burning, seeping anger. Then I just thought - OK, I
will just call every damn doctor in my Medical group.</strong></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">M&E: </span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Like a number of women in the study, it took a lot of time to convince your physician to perform the tests your body was screaming that you needed. What was the outcome of your screening?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><strong>Diane Long: </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;"><strong>The night before my needle core biopsy, I dreamed I fell into a killer
whale tank and was yelling for someone to please help me! The massive black and
white beasts were slowly circling around me. At that moment a tall handsome
Asian man wearing a wetsuit jumped in and hugged me to him, then one of the
smaller whales pushed us onto the landing. I woke up that morning in a very
positive mood<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I danced around the
kitchen floor and told my husband and daughter about the dream, thinking yes
I'm going to live, and I really held onto that dream.</strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><strong>
A week later I was diagnose with ducal carcinoma in situ, multi centric,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>grade 3. The good news it was not the
aggressive invasive cancer that I had all the clinical symptoms of, but early
stage 0 breast cancer. The survival rate for women with DCIS is very good, but
the treatment plan was still a uni-lateral mastectomy.</strong> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">M&E:</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How did you come to be in Dr. Burk's breast cancer warning dreams study?</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial";"></span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial";"></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><strong>Diane Long:</strong></span><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "courier new";"></span></strong><br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial";"><span style="color: black; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><strong>The universe I think had a plan in this. A month before his research was ending, I Googled breast cancer dreams and women who had dreams of b/c before they were diagnosed .The article, I I think, was about Kathleen's book and then Dr. Larry's research on the dream blog.</strong></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><strong>I have always had pretty strong dreams that have guided me in hard times.</strong></span> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"></span><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial";"></span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial";">M & E:</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial";"></span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial";">My sleeping brain occasionally delivered precognitive information in the past, but the percentage was small. My breast cancer precognitive dream was startling and I haven't been the same since. The frequency of such information has increased, especially what is called waking dreams.. </span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial";"></span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial";">Dr. Burk talks about <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjAxP_LYuZk">symbolic meaning in illness</a>.. Do you see any in your case? What did you learn from your experience?</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial";"></span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial";"><strong><span style="color: black;">Diane Long:</span></strong> </span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial";"></span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial";"></span><br />
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family: verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial";"><span style="color: black; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><strong>My second dream, the one with the Orca whales, was really powerful. My emotional state during that period: huge and gigantic. <br />I think maybe the little whale was the stage O cancer ( which I didn't know yet) - big in terms of the word cancer but a small threat.</strong></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial";">
</span>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family: verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial";"><span style="color: black; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><strong>After that strong dream, it really center me, I did feel like I had a plan. </strong></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial";">
</span>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family: verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial";"><span style="color: black; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><strong><br />I started to seek out acupuncture therapy and drinking green teas. Incorporating more yoga. meditating and writing in my journal daily. </strong></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial";">
</span>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family: verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial";"><span style="color: black; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><strong>As far as the learning experience, everyday always. long slow breath. Be so grateful that I m breathing. Seek out new experience, live life and be with people who make you laugh.</strong></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial";">
</span>
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial";"></span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">M&E:</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> What is your life like now?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><strong>Diane Long: <span style="line-height: 115%;"> I came out a resilient and
strong. I completed in 2013 a<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>200 hour
yoga alliance teacher training. Yoga and mediation saved me. I want to work with
cancer survivors in the future because<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>haha I'm a force of nature, or so I've been told!</span></strong></span><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "courier new";"></span></strong><br />
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<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family: verdana,sans-serif;">
<strong>Diane Long was born and raised in Southern California. She recently celebrated her 30 year wedding anniversary. The couple has a twenty-seven year old son who has recently married and a nineteen year old daughter in college. Diane can be contacted at </strong><a href="http://www.englishrosefloral.com/" target="_blank"><strong>www.englishrosefloral.com</strong></a><strong>.</strong></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><strong><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></strong></span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><strong><span style="line-height: 115%;">Breast Cancer Warning Dreams Study Participants Interview Series:</span></strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><strong><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></strong></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><strong><span style="line-height: 115%;"><a href="ttp://moonbeamsecodreams.blogspot.com/2016/01/i-was-diagnosed-with-breast-cancer-in.html">Part I Wanda Burch</a></span></strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><strong><span style="line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://moonbeamsecodreams.blogspot.com/2016/01/breast-cancer-warning-dreams-interview.html">Part II Dr. Larry Burk, MD</a></span></strong></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><strong><span style="line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://moonbeamsecodreams.blogspot.com/2016/01/breast-cancer-warning-dreams-interview_22.html">Part III Sunni Ingalls</a> </span></strong></span></div>
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<!--[endif]--></span>Moonbeams and Eco-Dreamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08921310649674603891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204988994647648157.post-35280196780864867332016-01-22T09:24:00.000-08:002016-01-22T09:24:10.164-08:00Breast Cancer Warning Dreams: Interview with Sunni Ingalls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is part three of my ongoing breast cancer warning dreams interview series. These interviews cover my co-participants in a study of breast cancer warning dreams <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larry-burk-md/dreams-that-warn-of-breas_b_8167758.html"><span style="color: #2288bb;">published</span></a> in the May/June 2015 issue of Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing.<br />
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Today I interview Sunni Ingalls, a computer systems analyst from Rochester, New York. In 2014 Sunni's story was shared in the<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dreamscloud/a-dream-saved-my-life-viv_b_4739398.html"> Huffington Post article - I Believe A Dream Saved My Life: A Tale of Breast Cancer Detection</a>. <br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">M&E</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Can you tell us about your life as it is now?</span><br />
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<strong>Sunni Ingalls</strong><br />
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<strong>I am married with two boys. I live in Webster, NY (but I hope to move somewhere warmer someday soon) :). I have a small family in the area but we are very close. I work as a System Analyst for East Irondequoit Central School District. I went part-time after I finished treatment. However, I am also a certified yoga instructor and teach 1-4 classes a week. On a personal level note, practicing yoga changed my life and has really helped me to hone my intuition.</strong> <br />
<span style="color: blue;">M&E</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;">Can you set the stage of your life at the time of this dream that suggested you had breast cancer? Were dreams about health issues common for you or did this come out of left field? </span><br />
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<strong>Sunni Ingalls</strong></div>
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<strong>There is a family history of breast cancer but the women in my family were diagnosed in their 50's and 60's so being in my early 40's, I honestly had no concerns about my breast health (at least not yet). Additionally, I thought I led a relatively healthy life. I was a good weight, I ran for exercise and I didn't eat a ton of "bad" food (however, I later realized I ate much more bad food then I thought). BUT my stress levels were HIGH! I had two teenage boys at home, I was running from one event to another and dealing with some “teenage” behavior. I had a failed business a few years earlier and I really felt my job was too demanding. I was NOT a priority in my own life but I don’t know that I really recognized it at the time.</strong> </div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Your story is similar to mine: family history of breast cancer, healthy eating, and poor stress management. Though I did have family history of breast cancer I do not have the BRCA1 or BRCA 2 genes. In fact, I have no genes known to be associated with cancer of any kind. Despite the familial breast cancer history, I assumed my general health nuttery would dodge that bullet from me, at least at a young age. It did not. I was stressed because of my child's chronic illnesses and didn't manage that so well. I now accept that comprehensive self care is everything. Not just in one area of life, but across the board: mind, body, and spirit. I meditate every day now and I'm pretty inflexible about that. Like your yoga, it has changed my life.</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">How did the dream unfold? Did it move you to seek screening right away or did you wait?</span></div>
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<strong>Sunni Ingalls</strong></div>
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<strong>The dream began on a beautiful Fall day. I could feel my heart pounding and the sound of my shallow but rhythmic breathing buzzing in my ears. My entire body vibrated each time my foot struck the ground. This was the day! I was in the zone! For the first time ever in my running career, I was at the front of the pack and nothing was going to stop me! The wind was at my back and the strength I felt was undeniable. I was certain it was the day I would set a PR! </strong></div>
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<strong>Running along I am suddenly yanked from my thoughts by the sound of a car that I can see is riding alongside the race. I try to put on my blinders and just concentrate on my run but I am positive I can hear someone calling my name. Finally, I give up and lookover. I have to do a double take because I realize it is my husband driving and waving me over like a mad man!</strong></div>
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<strong>He is pleading with me to get into the car but I tell him he is crazy...that today is the day I am going to set a PR and there is NO way I am leaving! We bicker for a bit and then with a promise that he will be able to return me to the same place in the race (for some reason this makes sense to me at the time), I relinquish and get in the car with him.</strong></div>
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<strong>We arrive home. I walk into our home and immediately observe my reflection in the mirror. I look exhausted and my left gland is severely swollen. I soon became aware of my mother’s presence; she is standing to the right of me and I can see the worried look on her face. I assure her I will be fine and then suddenly…. the dream is over.</strong></div>
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<strong>I called my mom immediately and shared the dream. I explained to her that I KNEW something was going to happen that would "take me out of the race of life" but that I was certain "I would get right back in where I left off." </strong></div>
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<strong>I knew my mother's reflection in the mirror was because whatever was going on...my mother had also experienced (I was a reflection of her). Because my neck was swollen and my mother had thyroid issues I initially thought it might be that. However, my mother had also had breast cancer! Within a week or two I was diagnosed with grade 2 invasive ductal carcinoma of the LEFT breast. Coincidences? I think not.</strong></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">What was the outcome of your screening?</span></div>
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<strong>Sunni Ingalls</strong></div>
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<strong>After the mammogram and subsequent ultrasound, the Dr. diagnosed me with breast cancer. Although they took a biopsy to confirm and called with results the next day (invasive ductal carcinoma – grade 2 – so relatively fast growing).</strong></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">M&E</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Did you tell your physicians or their staffs about the dream? If so, how did they respond?</span></div>
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<strong>Sunni Ingalls</strong></div>
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<strong>Down the road, I shared with one of my oncologists and my Dr. at the breast clinic. Both are open minded and encouraged me to continue to listen to my intuition and pay attention to my dreams.</strong></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I told everyone and anyone at that hospital who would listen, because I was still reeling from the fact that such a thing could happen: that I could dream I had breast cancer and be diagnosed with it during a routine screening within weeks. Responses were mixed. I left out, though, the part about later having met at a support group the very woman, a stranger, who diagnosed me in the dream......</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do you believe your dream and subsequent actions you took as a result saved your life? If so, how?</span></div>
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<strong>Sunni Ingalls</strong></div>
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<strong>Saved my life? Quite possibly. At very least, I definitely believe my dream prevented me from having a later stage cancer. I am certain I either wouldn’t have noticed the dimple or just ignored it...it was very subtle.</strong></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">M&E</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How did you come to be included in Dr. Burk's study? As someone who has done grassroots organizing for twenty years I am fascinated by how he found all these breast cancer warning dreamers without help from the major breast cancer organizations. He seems to be a natural at bringing people together.</span> </div>
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<strong>Sunni Ingalls</strong></div>
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<strong>One day during my treatment, my mom sent me a link to a dream website and she encouraged me to post my dream. She thought it’d be therapeutic and a great idea to get feedback on what others thought. It was the only time I had shared a dream on a website. I really don’t normally do “stuff” like that. Dr. Burk contacted me from there.</strong></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers about your experience?</span></div>
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<strong>Sunni Ingalls</strong></div>
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<strong>I just think listening to your intuition is so important. Don’t dismiss dreams or feelings that are strong or “stick with you”. That’s how I describe my “prophetic/message” dreams. Take time and just sit with the thought or dream, don’t attach to it but ask yourself some questions, like if you should act on it, follow up with a dr., etc. and then honor yourself by following though with what you come up with.</strong></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">M&E</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I totally agree. I was the one who had the dreams about potential relapses, so I'm always paying attention. Sometimes, most of the time for me, a dream is just a dream though - so learning to decipher the precognitive from dreams that are just processing fear has been a challenge. Still, it is work worth doing. </span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you for this interview.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Sunni Ingalls in the media:</span></strong></div>
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<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dreamscloud/a-dream-saved-my-life-viv_b_4739398.html">Huffington Post: I Believe A Dream Saved My Life: A Tale of Breast Cancer Detection</a> </div>
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<a href="http://www.communityhealthmagazine.com/fitness/article_e19fd548-7815-11e5-bb4e-27a18b7ac367.html">Community Health Magazine: Cancer Survivor Revamps Her Lifestyle</a> </div>
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<a href="http://roc.democratandchronicle.com/article/20121025/HER_HEALTH/121025005/Running-proves-therapy-chronic-illnesses">herRochester: Running Proves Therapy for Chronic Illnesses</a> </div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Breast Cancer Warning Dreams Series</span></strong></div>
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<a href="http://moonbeamsecodreams.blogspot.com/search/label/Wanda%20Burch">Part I: Wanda Burch</a></div>
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<a href="http://moonbeamsecodreams.blogspot.com/">Part II: Dr. Larry Burk</a> </div>
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Moonbeams and Eco-Dreamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08921310649674603891noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204988994647648157.post-24166121373099337642016-01-15T17:13:00.003-08:002017-11-04T14:53:40.993-07:00Breast Cancer Warning Dreams: Interview with Dr. Larry Burk, M.D.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xcc1VGQJh5E/VpmQNhDWfKI/AAAAAAAAAN4/u_QoEzEggGY/s1600/larry%2Bburk%2Bpic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xcc1VGQJh5E/VpmQNhDWfKI/AAAAAAAAAN4/u_QoEzEggGY/s1600/larry%2Bburk%2Bpic.jpg" /></a></div>
In 2013 I was diagnosed with breast cancer in a dream, then shortly after, in real life. My experience and those of other breast-cancer-warning-dreamers, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larry-burk-md/dreams-that-warn-of-breas_b_8167758.html">were published</a> in the May/June 2015 issue of Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing.<br />
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This is part 2 in a still evolving series of interviews with my co-participants in the study. It is my pleasure to introduce you to Dr. Larry Burk, M.D., the paper's author. <br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">M & E</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Can you please tell us about your medical background and how you eventually found interest in parapsychology research?</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Dr. Burk </span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">My story begins in my hometown at the University of Pittsburgh where I did my medical school and radiology residency training. There I was fortunate to get in on the ground floor of MRI just as it began to flourish in 1985. While doing some of the early research in MRI of the knee I developed a mysterious pain in my shoulder which was unrelieved by arthroscopic surgery. This experience inspired me to pursue </span></b><a href="http://www.letmagichappen.com/blog/entry/correlating_physical_symptoms_and_mri_findings"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">research in MRI of the shoulder</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> at Thomas Jefferson University after doing a musculoskeletal fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania, eventually leading to the first study of MRI in professional baseball players with the Philadelphia Phillies.</span></b><br />
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</span></b> <b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">After this very conventional beginning, I was unexpectedly launched into a multifaceted adventure into holistic healing in 1987. It was prompted by a perfect storm of events including </span></b><a href="http://www.letmagichappen.com/newsletter/issue/november_2012"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">my father being diagnosed with metastatic renal cancer</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">, discovering my first metaphysical bookstore, and joining the national MRI safety committee to address concerns about </span></b><a href="http://www.letmagichappen.com/newsletter/issue/march_2013"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">claustrophobic patients</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> and the </span></b><a href="http://www.letmagichappen.com/newsletter/issue/halloween_2012"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">health effects of electromagnetic fields</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">. The safety issues led me to become interested in hypnosis and acupuncture, taking my first hypnosis training in 1990 while beginning to explore alternative cancer therapies for my dad including acupuncture.</span></b><br />
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</span></b> <b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The next stop on the journey was private practice in Virginia Beach where I was introduced to the Edgar Cayce material and medical intuition. Experiences with a number of talented intuitives caused a significant paradigm shift in my worldview, and in 1993 I moved to Durham, home of my alma mater, Duke University, and the </span></b><a href="http://www.letmagichappen.com/newsletter/issue/march_2014"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Rhine Research Center</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">, formerly the Duke Parapsychology Laboratory. I took a job as section head of musculoskeletal radiology at Duke and also pursued </span></b><a href="http://www.letmagichappen.com/newsletter/issue/january_2013"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">parapsychology research in intuitive diagnosis</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">, eventually becoming a founding member of the American Board of Scientific Medical Intuition and Rhine board president for a year. </span></b><br />
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Upon arriving at Duke I discovered a number of like-minded colleagues and started the Mind-Body Medicine Study Group. The deaths of one of those friends and my father led me down a spiritual rabbit hole into the world of dreams and </span></b><a href="http://www.letmagichappen.com/newsletter/issue/february_2013"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">shamanic journeying</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">, including a healing encounter with my first power animal, the jaguar. Following these unusual forms of guidance I co-founded the Duke Center for Integrative Medicine in 1998, became the </span></b><a href="http://www.letmagichappen.com/newsletter/issue/june_2013"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">education director</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> and took the UCLA Acupuncture Course for Physicians. I left full-time radiology and </span></b><a href="http://www.letmagichappen.com/newsletter/issue/july_2013"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">began to practice acupuncture</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> along with hypnosis and dream work at a variety of clinics at Duke.</span></b><br />
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</span></b> <b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">A fortunate twist in the story occurred in 2002 when I was introduced to </span></b><a href="http://www.letmagichappen.com/blog/entry/utilize_the_entire_edanvir_tapping_protocol_for_eft"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques)</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">, the perfect combination of my hypnosis and acupuncture training. Through a series of magical synchronicities in 2004 I was guided to leave Duke to set up Healing Imager, PC, to offer consulting services in MRI musculoskeletal radiology for </span></b><a href="http://www.nationalrad.com/"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">NationalRad</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> and in EFT and hypnosis for </span></b><a href="http://www.orientalhealthsolutions.com/"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Oriental Health Solutions, LLC</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">. I became a Certified Energy Health Practitioner through the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology in 2010 and was certified in hypnosis by the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis in 2011. </span></b><br />
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</span></b> <b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">After telling stories about all these healing adventures for many years, I was finally inspired to publish </span></b><em><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Let Magic Happen: Adventures in Healing with a Holistic Radiologist</span></b></em><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> in 2012. Along the way the journey has continued to unfold in mysterious ways. I’ve explored my own various musculoskeletal ailments through the lens of </span></b><a href="http://www.letmagichappen.com/newsletter/issue/august_2013"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">symptoms as metaphors</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> and have gained valuable insights that I enjoy sharing with patients in my practice as well as with healthcare practitioners through workshops. In 2014 my first medical intuition teacher Winter Robinson, MA, invited me to co-facilitate </span></b><a href="http://www.letmagichappen.com/newsletter/issue/february_2015"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Medical Intuition and Symbolic Disease workshops</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> with her at The Monroe Institute in Faber, VA. </span></b><br />
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</span></b> <b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">My use of EFT has expanded to include working with </span></b><a href="http://www.letmagichappen.com/newsletter/issue/january_2014"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">symbolic grief-related illnesses</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> such as sinusitis and post-nasal drip in conjunction with After-Death Communication using imagery and dream work. Health-related dreams have expanded as a focus inspiring me to publish a research paper in 2015 on women who have </span></b><a href="http://www.letmagichappen.com/newsletter/issue/june_2015"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">warning dreams about their breast cancers</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> before diagnosis.</span></b> <br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">M&E</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">How did this breast cancer dreams study come together?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Dr. Burk</b></span><br />
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</b></span> <span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>I first heard of the dream breast warning phenomenon from a physiologist-turned-mediation teacher friend who had a series of vague dreams about cancer culminating in a precognitive dream of having surgery on her breast by a woman surgeon. This startling dream prompted her to go for a mammogram which was normal. Unsatisfied by this result she pressed the radiologist to do an ultrasound. The radiologist refused saying it was not standard practice to do ultrasound to search for a cancer that was not palpable or visible on mammography. She pleaded to have it done exactly where the dream indicated, and the radiologist was stunned to find it. </b></span><br />
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Another friend is a physician-turned-consciousness researcher who had two disturbing dreams in one night. The first scary dream was about a serial killer. The second one was about having breast cancer. Those were enough to send her for a mammogram which showed a cancer in the location from her dream. A third friend of mine reported that “I had a dream that I had cancer. I went to the G.P complaining of a lump and spasm-like feelings on my sternum. The G.P. concluded it was normal breast tissue, and the feeling in my sternum was dismissed, a devastating mistake. A year later, a different doctor diagnosed stage 3 breast cancer.” </b></span><br />
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</b></span> <span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>These three eye-opening stories of dream intuition inspired me to do a literature and Internet search for additional examples. Psychiatrists Vasily Kasatkin and Robin Royston have reported large series of dreams that warn of a variety of health concerns, including cancer. Kasatkin‟s research is described in Robert Van de Castle‟s book, <a href="http://www.ourdreamingmind.net/TheBook.html">Our Dreaming Mind</a>. </b></span><br />
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Royston recounted the case of a woman named Nancy, who had a precognitive dream of receiving a stunning blow to the chest by a strange hooded figure. She punched the figure, who turned out to be herself, in the chest and shouted, “Bad Nancy,” which turned out to a be a play on words for Malig-Nancy when she was diagnosed with breast cancer 5 months later. www.worlddreambank.org/B/BADNANCY.HTM </b></span><br />
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In searching for recent research, I got more than I bargained for when I hit the "mother lode" by finding <a href="http://www.wandaburch.com/">Wanda Easter Burch's</a> She Who Dreams. In her book she describes the dreams that guided her to find her cancer after doctors dismissed her nagging breast pain. Wanda also presented <a href="http://www.asdreams.org/psi2008/presenters.htm">Dreaming Well: Harvesting Dream Imagery for Healing</a> in the 2008 Psiber Dreaming Conference. She reported a survey of 19 women from a 2004 breast cancer support group meeting at the Charles Wood Cancer Center in Glens Falls, N.Y. Ten had experienced prodromal dreams of their breast cancers, with warning visits from deceased family members in all but one of them. </b></span><br />
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</b></span> <span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>I presented many of these cases in my Dream Diagnosis of Cancer and Clinical Correlation talk at the 2013 IASD conference, and the discussion afterwards centered on ways to create a database that would allow scientific study of prodromal dreams in breast cancer. Included in this dialogue was the management team from www.dreamscloud.com, who offered to collaborate in providing a cyber platform to facilitate collecting this important data. This project can be initially approached retrospectively in the short term, beginning with Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October (including outreach to breast cancer support groups), but ideally it would evolve into a long term prospective study. </b></span><br />
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For an initial retrospective study, a request could be posted on the Dreams Cloud website for women with confirmed diagnoses of breast cancer to post any prodromal dreams they previously recorded in a dream diary. According to a search of their site, there have only been two spontaneously reported dreams of breast cancer posted since February 2013, without any indication of radiological follow up or a confirmed diagnosis. Beginning to collect more comprehensive data in this fashion would provide some idea of how a prospective study might work, with the goal of establishing a substantial online breast cancer dream registry.</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">M & E</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Post publication you introduced a number of us from the study to one another. Have you noticed any similarities amongst participants in terms of personalities, worldviews, or how we seem to process information? Do you suspect there may be certain characteristics shared by people prone precognitive dreams pertaining to illness?</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Dr. Burk</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Since I know about 1/3 of the group rather well now including two of my closest friends and have had some personal interactions with most of the rest, I do have a sense about some shared characteristics. Many of you have a long history of intuitive guidance, so the fact that you are breast cancer dreamers may not be that surprising. My one close friend is a cardiovascular physiologist turned mindfulness teacher, and the other is a physician/psychologist synchronicity researcher. Kat and Wanda have both written books about their intuitive development. Carolyn Kinney is an outside-the-box thinking nursing professor who published her article in the 90s even before Wanda's book came out. There are also 3 women from the IASD who have doing dream work for years.</span></b><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">M & E</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Do you think such medical intuition is unique to certain people or can it be developed in those with no such history? I see that you are offering a couple of medical intuition classes in 2016. Can you please tell us about those?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Dr. Burk</b></span><br />
<b><i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Clearly some people are born with more enhanced intuitive abilities than others, and some acquire them as survival skills due to childhood trauma in dysfunctional families. Others have very active left brains whose right brains only come out to play during sleep as intuitive dreams or through guided imagery processes. It is kind of the like Force in Star Wars. Some training may be required for Jedi skills to emerge, while others like Rey in the new version seem to know exactly what to do when the time comes for it. Winter Robinson was one of my first intuitive teachers, and <a href="https://www.monroeinstitute.org/Medical%20Intuition%20and%20Symbolic%20Diseases">I am thrilled to be co-facilitating a series of medical intuition workshops with her at the Monroe Institute.</a></span></i></b><br />
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<b><i><span style="color: blue; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">M&E</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">You are working on a book with one of the study participants, <a href="http://www.survivingcancerland.com/">Kat Kanavos</a>, who will also be interviewed as part of this series. Can you tell us more about that project? What is the vision or is that still in the shaping process?</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"> </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Dr. Burk</span></b></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Kat and I have had fun co-presenting at the last 2 IASD conferences on dreams and breast cancer, so the book idea came from those shared experiences. We have both written books and spend a lot of time working with social media, and it felt right to both of us to collaborate on this book project. The tentative title is Dreams that Can Save Your Life: Early Warning Signs of Cancer and Other Diseases. In addition to the dream material already collected for the research paper, we have been gathering reports of dreams of many other types of cancer including </span></b></i><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1452811196259_14636" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><i id="yui_3_16_0_1_1452811196259_14930"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">thyroid, prostate, skin, brain, lung, uterine, and colon cancers. Thus far we have the outline completed and are working on the first chapters for the book proposal.</span></b></i></span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LCiX_suWoVg" width="420"></iframe><br />
<a href="http://moonbeamsecodreams.blogspot.com/2016/01/i-was-diagnosed-with-breast-cancer-in.html"><br />
</a> <a href="http://moonbeamsecodreams.blogspot.com/2016/01/i-was-diagnosed-with-breast-cancer-in.html">Part 1: I Was Diagnosed with Breast Cancer in a Dream: An Interview with Wanda Burch</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.letmagichappen.com/">Dr. Larry Burk's Website</a><br />
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Dr. Burk's book (available in paperback and Kindle version)<br />
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<br />Moonbeams and Eco-Dreamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08921310649674603891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204988994647648157.post-41690465729626809882016-01-08T15:44:00.000-08:002016-01-08T16:55:03.098-08:00I Was Diagnosed with Breast Cancer in a Dream - An Interview with Wanda Burch <span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"> </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Wanda Burch</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">"It's your time to get cancer."</span></div>
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That sentence kept waking me from dead sleep during the summer of 2013. By December, when due for my annual breast screening, I had a nagging feeling that this time I should ask for an MRI. Between getting the scan and receiving the results I dreamed a woman in a white lab coat told me I had breast cancer. Thanks to that MRI I was diagnosed with Stage 1 HER 2 (+3) breast cancer that previous mammograms missed. I was forty-three years old. That was a very aggressive tumor that had not yet spread. Would a mammogram alone have missed it again, destining me for diagnosis at a later, less treatable stage? Quite possibly. <br />
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More shocking than being diagnosed with cancer in a dream was learning that I was in good company - that this is actually <em>a</em> <em>thing</em>. In 2015 I was part of a study with eighteen other women, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larry-burk-md/dreams-that-warn-of-breas_b_8167758.html">Warning Dreams Preceding the Diagnosis of Breast Cancer: A Survey of the Most Important Characteristics</a>, published in May/June 2015 issue of Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing. <br />
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I have begun an interview series with <a href="http://www.letmagichappen.com/">Dr. Larry Burk, M.D</a>., the paper's author, and several women from the study. This first installment features Wanda Burch. <br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">M & E: </span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Can you set the stage of your life at the time of this dream that suggested you </span><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">had breast cancer? Were dreams about health issues common for you or did this </span><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">come out of left field?</span> <br />
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<strong>Wanda Burch:</strong><br />
<strong> "I was born in the South in Cullman, Alabama, and grew up in Memphis, Tennessee. My grandmother was a healer in the Alabama mountains and dream sharing was a constant in my life. Keeping a daily journal was not a part of my life until a friend, </strong><a href="http://www.mossdreams.com/"><strong>Robert Moss</strong></a><strong>, encouraged me to do so. The journal saved my life. When I realized I was dreaming the diagnosis of breast cancer, Robert was in the process of developing a set of “questions,” which he called Lightning Dream Technique. In helping me work with and understand the dreams, which were nightly, I worked through the process of diagnosis, surgery, chemotherapy and healing, as Robert refined his technique, assisting me in learning how to mine the dreams for active work with the imagery for healing.</strong><br />
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<strong>I can’t imagine having “one” dream. Each dream held unique information, crucial to diagnosis; then the dreams changed when I had acted on the information, each one unfolding, as you say, into the information I needed for the next part of the healing process. They addressed the technical aspects of chemotherapy, providing the imagery I needed for a positive experience, providing the words and phrases I needed for the creation of meditations, for drawing, for writing and for actively moving the imagery from the dream to my waking reality.</strong></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">M & E: </span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Did you tell your physicians or their staffs about the dreams? If so, how did they </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">respond? Do you believe your dreams and subsequent actions you took as a result saved your </span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">life? If so, how?</span> <br />
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<strong>Wanda Burch:</strong></div>
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<strong>I will not repeat the entire content of the book. Read it for my story; but I shared my dreams first with my gynecologist and then with a surgeon who “paid attention.” He asked if I had dreamed the location of the tumor. I had. He gave me a felt tip pen and asked me to draw the location on my breast. The location was accurate and he passed along information to my oncologist on the nature of my dreaming and asked him to participate actively with me in the healing process. I had an aggressive cancer that did not show up on a mammogram. One of my dreams warned me of this and encouraged me to aggressively pursue the only information available on the diagnosis - my dreams. I did. Dr. Barlyn shared later that had it not been for my dreams, I would have been dead within a year with almost no symptoms."</strong></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">M&E: </span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Interesting. Mammogram missed mine, too. How did you come to be included in Dr. Burk's study? </span></div>
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<strong>Wanda Burch:</strong></div>
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<strong>I don’t recall exactly how Dr. Burk came to me. I think he was aware of my book and of my friendship with Robert Moss.</strong></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">M&E:</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers about your </span><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">experience?</span> <br />
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<strong>Wanda Burch:</strong></div>
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<strong>I continue to work with women who have diagnoses of breast cancer and other chronic illness, and women veterans, who often have unique health issues. We work together with their dreams, using Robert’s technique for dream sharing and using more advanced work with dreams: dream tracking, dream re-entry, drawing, writing, and dream theater. I plan an eventual book on healing and the imagination, based on the hundreds of stories shared in workshops on dreaming, diagnosis, and healing. My current research is soldiers’ dreams, both historic and current. I believe working with dreams and the arts is a safety net that can bring the soldier home from war with humanity and soul intact.</strong></div>
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<strong>I am a 26 year breast cancer survivor. In 2003 New World Library published the story of my experience of healing and dreams: <i>She Who Dreams: A Journey into Healing through Dreamwork</i>. My book still influences people and I still receive testimonials from those working with healing and dreams. In <i>She Who Dreams</i>, I describe how working with dreams and dream imagery saved my life, not a process of “one” dream, but a process that involves first and foremost keeping a journal, working with individual dream imagery and understanding the ongoing process of diagnosis, action, and healing, using the information and imagery in each dream. I dreamed my diagnosis of breast cancer for over two years before I understood what I was dreaming about. When the dreams became more definitive and more urgent, I paid attention and acted on the dreams, and currently, with the help of a few simple questions, I understand how to approach each of my night dreams and how to work actively with dream imagery and information as it comes. </strong></div>
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<strong>I am a retired historian from a 37 year career as site manager of an 18th century house museum. I continue to work in historic preservation and on boards of historic societies and museums. I continue to work with dreams and with breast cancer advocacy programs. I am a peer advocate reviewer with the Department of Defense breast cancer grant proposal program and have articles published on dream imagery in self-help magazines, in on-line blogs, and other like venues. I co-present arts retreats in the Adirondack mountains, one at Great Camp Sagamore for women surviving chronic illness and one at Wiawaka in Lake George for women veterans. These are under the auspices of Creative Healing Connections, Inc. </strong></div>
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<strong>Most recently I have partnered with John Kenosian, singer/songwriter. We offer programs on healing through dreams and music that will allow participants the opportunity to explore the imagery in their dreams and the healing potential of music. Wiawaka will host our first three day program on <i>Healing the Spirit through Dreams and Music</i>, July 8-10, 2016, with one day programs offered at other venues throughout the year. Both John and myself are featured in a newly released CD, “<i>Come Dearest the Daylight is Gone"</i> [the 77th NY Regimental Balladeers], with an accompanying booklet authored by myself, <i>Dreaming of Home in the American Civil War</i>. The booklet includes excerpts from a book manuscript, working title, <i>Soul on Paper: Dreams and the Imagination in the American Civil War,</i> which will be published by McFarland Publishing, Inc. in 2016. Visit my website at </strong><a href="http://www.wandaburch.com/" target="_blank"><strong>www.wandaburch.com</strong></a><strong>.</strong></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pOu4dGqXvnU" width="420"></iframe><br />Moonbeams and Eco-Dreamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08921310649674603891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204988994647648157.post-64330308409515611962016-01-01T09:52:00.003-08:002016-01-10T04:42:50.962-08:002015 Kiva Update and New Borrowers<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QIiaPyZFPCQ/Voa2JxtpgNI/AAAAAAAAANQ/-hx5zIWP2V8/s1600/kiva%2Bguy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QIiaPyZFPCQ/Voa2JxtpgNI/AAAAAAAAANQ/-hx5zIWP2V8/s320/kiva%2Bguy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This
blog was badly neglected in 2015. I was too caught up with cancer
recovery, advocacy work, and starting a new job to write. So imagine my
delight when I logged into my Amazon Associates account
and saw that, despite my absence, readers still purchased enough
through amazon.com banners on this site for me to issue one <a href="http://www.kiva.org/"><span style="color: blue;">Kiva</span></a> loan to an
entrepreneur in the developing world. </span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> I</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> chose Rember Saturnino, an
organic farmer from Peru, pictured above.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Kiva: "</span></i><i><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Rember is a hardworking 39-year-old man who
has three children and lives in the rural Cabanaconde district, located in
Arequipa. He makes a living raising organic cattle, paying a great deal of
attention to the their care and the food that he provides for them, which is
the organic alfalfa that he grows. <br />
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Rember also works in organic agriculture, especially in the cultivation of
potatoes. It is for this that he is requesting a micro-loan in order to plant
organic potatoes. That is to say, to buy organic seed potatoes and to prepare
the agricultural fields with organic fertilizer. <br />
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In the future, Rember hopes to be able to provide his children a better quality
of life and to continue having good health, which is the reason he opted for
organic methods. "</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When
Mr. Saturnino repays his loan that $25 will be lent to another Kiva borrower
and so on. What started out as a no interest loan to one low income entrepreneur will benefit
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<span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2015
completes my third full year using Amazon Associates earnings from this
site to issue Kiva loans to entrepreneurs in the developing world. This year
brought in $32.17, which I added to my Kiva account this morning.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Though 2015 only earned enough for the one borrower, previous loans were repaid this year, enabling us to take on eight additional entrepreneurs. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">My Amazon Associates account has earned $245.31 since 2013, which is nine loans. Those funds got re-loaned upon repayment so t</span><a href="http://www.kiva.org/team/moonbeams__ecodreams_and_its_readers/loans"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">he grand total is now eighteen low income entrepreneurs funded and counting</span></a><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"> (two ended in loss). There is a metaphoric loaves and fishes aspect at play here. Your initial contributions have doubled so far. You will now be helping feed families of low income entrepreneurs not yet even listed on Kiva! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Several years ago a contestant on Jeopardy was introduced as having raised something like a million dollars for Kiva. Kiva was my favorite charity, too. I figured if she could raise THAT much I could at least raise a little. Thank you for helping make that dream reality.</span> </div>
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Happy New Year!</div>
Moonbeams and Eco-Dreamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08921310649674603891noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204988994647648157.post-83845975776943127252015-01-31T05:22:00.000-08:002015-04-17T15:56:32.701-07:00M&E's 2014 Kiva Giving Report & Three New Borrowers<div class="separator" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">
<img alt="Joseph's Group" src="http://s3-2.kiva.org/img/h450/1742661.jpg" title="Joseph's Group" /> </div>
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2014 was the first year of our Kiva giving campaign. <br />
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For those new to this blog here's skinny. Kiva is a non-profit micro-lending organization that makes no interest business loans to low income entrepreneurs, mostly in the developing world. Such individuals are typically neglected by traditional lending institutions for lack of collateral, making escape from grinding poverty all but impossible.<br />
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Each person or group puts $25 toward a loan, which is combined with the contributions of dozens or even hundreds others. The borrower uses the funds usually to purchase initial supplies or to expand an existing business. Once the $25 is paid back you can re-loan it to other borrowers in an indefinite cycle.<br />
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I signed this blog up as an Amazon.com affiliate, which means I get a percentage of any items purchased at the online store that was accessed through banners on my website. I then issue 100% of those profits in Kiva loans. I chose this organization over all others for two reasons. 1.) It is my favorite charity because it enables people to lift themselves out of poverty. 2.) Since the money gets paid back and re-issued indefinitely it magnifies the impact of your purchase many times over, enabling you to make a difference in lives for years, turning this blog into a mini micro-lending foundation. <br />
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Let's review 2014 for a demonstration. Here is my earnings report for 2014.<br />
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It shows I earned $177.53 in affiliate profits for 2014. With each loan at $25 that means I could issue a minimum of seven loans for 2014 (not including Kiva operating fees, which is a few dollars per loan). For 2014 I issued nine Kiva loans and with an additional two today, because repayment on some of the other loans came in enabling the funding on additional loans, plus the payment schedule runs two months behind (one listed expired and didn't get filled by Kiva so I re-loaned those funds today).</div>
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I still need to receive a small amount from December, which will be issued in February and loaned out on 2015 schedule even though I'm accounting for that income on 2014. I hope that's not all too confusing to follow.<br />
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These are the faces of real people you, along with other Kiva lenders, are helping to lift themselves out of poverty. You see parents here who are now able to send their children to school (many of these countries don't have free public education), people that can now expand their homes beyond one room, have local access to clean drinking water. Thank you. I will continue to keep you update on the progress of new loans.<br />
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Here are three of the most recent.<br />
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<img alt="Kulumkan" src="http://www.kiva.org/img/w632/1730838.jpg" height="300" title="Kulumkan" width="400" /><br />
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From the Kiva website: "Kulumkan is 43 years old, married, and she is raising four children. She has been involved in animal husbandry since 1994, and this activity constitutes her family's main source of income. She currently owns three dairy cows, four young bulls, three horses and 25 sheep. She sells milk to the local residents on a daily basis. She receives a high demand for the milk that she produces, thus making a nice profit. In order to further develop her business, she has turned to Bai Tushum Bank CJSC for a loan of 130,000 som (KGS). She will use this loan to buy young bulls for fattening and resale. She is planning to reinvest the earnings from her loan into further increasing her farming business. She also wants to repair her house. "<br />
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Kiva: "Joseph is a 57-year-old, proud father of seven children. He is a group leader, who is often described as a very friendly person. Here, he is representing his group of 13 farmers in Teso District. Since joining One Acre Fund in 2012, Joseph has noticed that he has had more profits from each harvest.</div>
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Joseph says his harvest was very good last year, but he believes he can have a better one this year by continuing to work with One Acre Fund. He is very excited to be purchasing a solar light this year, in addition to fertilizer and maize seeds, because now he will have light during dark hours for his children to study by. With the profits from this season’s harvest, he plans to send his children to school.<br />
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With this loan, Joseph’s Group members will purchase enough inputs to plant a total of 6.25 acres of land, and purchase a total of 11 solar lights."<br />
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<img alt="Banco Mujer Mujeres De Fe Group" src="http://www.kiva.org/img/w632/1800474.jpg" height="300" title="Banco Mujer Mujeres De Fe Group" width="400" /></div>
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Kiva: "The Mujeres de Fe Bank is applying for its second loan. Currently, the group has 8 members, all with productive ideas already begun, and with business natures to succeed in their undertakings. The activities that they carry out are livestock and trade. </div>
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Kimberly is part of this group. She is a very young woman with a child who is only 1 year old. She is the head of her household and her activity is one that allows her to pay her and her child’s basic expenses. She counts on only a small pension that the father of her son provides her. <br />
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This woman who is so brave makes a living raising and breeding pigs. With the first loan, she was able to consolidate her business, and with this new investment she is thinking of increasing her production purchasing more animals and the supplies necessary for its development. Kimberly’s aspirations are many, but mainly that her activity continues to be the self-employment that she needs so much to be able to see her child without having to leave her home." <br />
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To participate in our Kiva microfinance campaign simply access amazon.com through the banner on this website whenever you make a purchase and 100% of my affiliate profits will be put to Kiva loans. I review potential borrowers carefully as well as the field partner who sponsors them. I only select borrowers who have very low risk of default, so that your contributions have the best chance of continuing indefinitely. </div>
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Moonbeams and Eco-Dreamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08921310649674603891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204988994647648157.post-73477761964904023972014-10-09T13:56:00.002-07:002015-04-17T15:56:42.569-07:00Four New Kiva Borrowers<img alt="Ushindi Group" src="http://www.kiva.org/img/w632/1654025.jpg" title="Ushindi Group" /><br />
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Ushindi Group - Uganda<br />
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I have gotten behind in listing the exciting new Kiva loans that have been partially funded by readers of this blog so here is the report. <br />
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In the last several months some of our previous loans to entrepreneurs in the developing world have been paid back. That plus affiliate profits earned through amazon.com have enabled me to lend to four additional borrowers.<br />
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Photographed above is the <a href="http://www.kiva.org/lend/742941">Ushindi Group of Uganda</a>. They are a group of entrepreneurs who pool resources together to help fund their various enterprises. One of its members is Mary-Anne. She sells used shoes and seeks the loan to expand her business so she can feed her daughter and send her to school. She is grateful for this opportunity to receive this loan despite lack of collateral. <br />
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<img alt="Nadiegueton 2 Group" src="http://www.kiva.org/img/w632/1619026.jpg" height="240" title="Nadiegueton 2 Group" width="320" /><br />
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<a href="http://www.kiva.org/lend/720055">Nadiegueton Group</a><br />
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This is a group of farmers from Mali. They will use the loan to buy seeds and pay farm costs.<br />
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<img alt="Basher Mosa Group" src="http://www.kiva.org/img/w632/1617131.jpg" height="240" title="Basher Mosa Group" width="320" /><br />
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Basher Mosha Group - Yemen<br />
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One of the members, Aisha, sells women's clothing and accessories door to door. The loan will help Aisha increase her inventory.<br />
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<img alt="Igball" src="http://s3-1.kiva.org/img/h450/1282882.jpg" height="320" title="Igball" width="316" /><br />
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Igball - Kosovo<br />
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<a href="http://www.kiva.org/lend/776811">Igball</a> took out a prior loan from Kiva, which has been repaid, to purchase a cow for milk sales. That improved her living standards so she seeks this second loan to purchase another cow for the growth of her business. <br />
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Thanks to my readers for helping fund these microloans. You have made a difference in the lives of people in the developing world. To participate in future loans simply use access amazon.com through banners on this website for your purchases at no extra cost to you. One hundred percent of affiliate profits earned to this website get issued to Kiva loans. When those are repaid the money continues circulation in new loans, making Moonbeams and Eco-Dreams sort of a mini micro-lending foundation.Moonbeams and Eco-Dreamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08921310649674603891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204988994647648157.post-51753528790335695432014-05-21T08:05:00.000-07:002015-04-17T15:57:04.839-07:00Our Third Kiva Borrower: La Colmena Group of Ecuador<br />
<img alt="La Colmena Group" src="http://www.kiva.org/img/w632/1579473.jpg" height="240" title="La Colmena Group" width="320" /><br />
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In April I received $20 in Amazon.com affiliate profits. Today I combined that with $3.67 repaid from some of our other Kiva borrowers and a dollar and change from my own bank account to issue our third loan. This one goes to <a href="http://www.kiva.org/lend/694681">La Colmena Group of Ecuador.</a><br />
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La Colmena is a cooperative of individuals who share business expenses for the benefit of the entire group. A portion of this loan will go to Bolivar. <br />
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Bolivar rents a house in a poor neighborhood in San Lorenzo where he lives with his wife and four year old daughter. His wife, who is 70% disabled, works as an office cleaner. Bolivar has worked as a bricklayer for years, but the work is unsteady. He plans to use this loan to acquire his own bricklaying tools, such as hammers, trials, and a mixer, so he can form his own bricklaying team to provide work for himself and others. <br />
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I chose these borrowers because of their excellent repayment history. When their loan is repaid it will be re-loaned to another hard working Kiva entrepreneur in the developing world.<br />
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Thank you for giving hard working teams, like La Colmena Group, who are often overlooked by traditional banking institutions for lack of collateral, these opportunities to thrive. <br />
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To help fulfill future loans simply use our Amazon.com banners at no extra cost to you the next time you make a purchase. 100% of affiliate profits go to these Kiva loans. <br />
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To join our team page click <a href="http://www.kiva.org/team/moonbeams__ecodreams_and_its_readers">here</a>.<br />
<br />Moonbeams and Eco-Dreamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08921310649674603891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204988994647648157.post-59150189578450581502014-04-23T04:01:00.000-07:002018-03-30T12:29:43.576-07:00The Day Cannabidiol Oil Passed The Kentucky House<u><span style="color: #000120;"><br /></span></u>
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We're in The House chamber, forty parents of children with epilepsy and their children . They actually passed this thing, medical cannabis oil for children. In Kentucky! 98-0! <br />
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I look around. Parents are elated, but somber too. A room full of people that finally get to exhale, but not completely. Never completely. Our kids' lives are about to get better, but they will never be great. One of them has a seizure on The House floor while a nearby legislator looks on, weeping. There will always be feeding tubes, wheelchairs. The infant sitting next to me will still have a life expectancy of two. My son will still have to make his way in a world that assaults his senses while his mother fights for her life. But we smile because we know it is a great day. Our children may one day have less seizures and some of them might even live longer now. For today, that is enough. <br />
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*This law is the project I have been working on all winter has kept me from Moonbeams and Eco-Dreams. The week this passed we were asked to write a vignette in my writing workshop. I was still processing my emotions from the day and this came out.<br />
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Further Reading: <br />
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<a href="http://www.wave3.com/story/25023635/path-cleared-for-final-passage-of-kentucky-cannabis-oil-bill">Path Cleared for Final Passage of Kentucky Cannabis Oil Bill - Wave 3 News</a>Moonbeams and Eco-Dreamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08921310649674603891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204988994647648157.post-52837047204426921012014-04-07T12:27:00.004-07:002015-04-17T15:57:19.545-07:00Meet Flor Y Cielo: Our Third Reader Funded Kiva Borrower<img alt="Flor Y Cielo Group" src="http://www.kiva.org/img/w632/1563247.jpg" height="240" title="Flor Y Cielo Group" width="320" /><br />
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My last two Amazon.com affiliate checks together yielded enough earnings to fund not one but TWO new Kiva borrowers. Thank you, readers, for supporting this project.<br />
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This time our loan was issued to <a href="http://www.kiva.org/lend/686097">Flor Y Cielo</a>, a small community bank in Bolivia. Flor has eight members who run a variety of businesses like cattle rearing, farming, delivery driving, and store ownership. Hard working entrepreneurs in the developing world like Flor Y Cielo are unable to access traditional bank loans to expand their businesses due to lack of collateral. Kiva and crowd source donors such as yourselves make it possible for these families to lift themselves out of poverty.<br />
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To help fulfill Flor Y Cielo's loan you can <a href="http://www.kiva.org/lend/686097">join our team page and make a donation</a>. To help fund future Kiva donors through Moonbeams and Eco-Dreams simply access amazon.com through the banner on the side bar of this website for your purchases at no extra cost to you. <br />
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<br />Moonbeams and Eco-Dreamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08921310649674603891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204988994647648157.post-4679231548012319192014-04-05T04:53:00.001-07:002014-04-07T08:27:00.811-07:00Meet Hamid: Our Second Reader Funded Kiva Borrower<br />
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<img alt="Hamid" src="http://www.kiva.org/img/w632/1560101.jpg" height="240" title="Hamid" width="320" /><br />
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A few years ago I had the dream of turning this blog into a mini micro-lending foundation to benefit low income entrepreneurs in the developing world through the non-profit organization Kiva. Since this blog does not receive a lot of traffic I wasn't sure how the project would go. And for the first year it didn't. But once <a href="http://moonbeamsecodreams.blogspot.com/2013/07/how-i-beat-severe-insomnia-with.html">I posted about how I cured my intractable insomnia with a light box and by wearing blue blocker glasses at night</a>, information I found in medical databases, the project really took off. People started buying light boxes and blue blockers from my Amazon.com affiliate links on the page and shared the link with other insomniacs.<br />
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Then I noticed something else: people weren't only buying light boxes and blue blockers, but unrelated items. It appears some people are now people going out of the way to access Amazon for their routine purchases through banners on this page to help with the project, which is wonderful. The blog has been lately earning enough now to issue about three loans monthly. There is a few months' delay to when I receive payments, so the full amount of loans we will issue remains to be seen, but I can tell by my sales statistics that the number keeps growing. And remember, once each loan is re-paid those funds are issued to other borrowers in a continuous cycle. Moonbeams and Eco-Dreams has indeed become the mini foundation of my dreams. Thank you, readers. You are making a difference.<br />
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Now, about Hamid. He is a farmer from Tajikistan. Many of the countries served by Kiva to not have state funded public education, so if parents cannot come up with the resources the children can't go to school. Hamid still has one child to get through school, so he wants to cultivate a new plot of land to help cover education costs. He will use the funds to buy seedlings and mineral fertilizers.<br />
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To help fulfill the rest of Hamid's loan click <a href="http://www.kiva.org/lend/691070">here</a> or join our Kiva team page <a href="http://www.kiva.org/team/moonbeams__ecodreams_and_its_readers">here</a>. You can also help by accessing Amazon.com for your purchases through the store banners on the sidebar of this website, at no extra cost to you. One hundred percent of affiliate profits earned by this website are donated to this cause. Thank you for your support. Moonbeams and Eco-Dreamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08921310649674603891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204988994647648157.post-88410659559936081392014-02-18T14:36:00.003-08:002016-02-10T06:50:47.782-08:00Breast Cancer: How My Body Knew Before I Did<br />
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Moonbeams and Eco-Dreams was never meant to be about me. That's why I have a journal. I come here to transcend me. If I do share personal details it is as context to causes dear to my heart like environmentalism, health, Fair Trade, and micro-lending.</div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>Then I was diagnosed with breast cancer on January 3, 2014. I started searching the internet for stories from women like me. Women whose lives had been turned up-side-down by those two words. The realities these strangers endure make me feel less alone. I wanted to hear everything. What stage were their cancers? What were their symptoms? And OMG how did they get through it all? There is no replacement for hearing from those who have been through it, so I will share my story, too.</div>
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My body screamed warnings at me during the year leading up to my diagnosis. In retrospect I see just how stark they were. But I put them in the back of my mind at the time because they seemed so bizarre. I think you'll agree.</div>
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<em><span style="color: #0b5394;"> "It's time for you to get cancer."</span></em><br />
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During the summer of 2013, several times a week I'd wake in the middle of the night to the thought, <em>"It's time for you to get cancer".</em> I ignored this because it pissed me off. I thought my brain was just screwing with me, like a recurrent nightmare or something. I even mocked it. Like damn, I forgot I set up that cancer getting appointment - how inconvenient!<br />
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<em><span style="color: #0b5394;">An Archetype From Beyond</span></em><br />
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A local woman named Cheryl died of cancer a few years ago. She was a friend of a friend. In the summer of 2013, about five months before receiving my breast cancer diagnosis, I could not stop thinking about Cheryl, which was strange since I didn't know her. It was almost like something about her was trying to break through my consciousness and get my attention. This went on for a while. I told our mutual friend this at church one day and we tried to figure out what it could mean. I'm not implying that the spirit of a stranger was trying give me a dire warning from beyond. I just think my body was using Cheryl as an archetype to warn me that I too had cancer, but I didn't pick up on it. Both my parents had cancer, but it is normal for me to think about them a lot. This had to be a person I had no reason whatsoever to think that intently about. I think that's why my psyche chose her.<br />
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<em><span style="color: #0b5394;">My Life Kept Flashing Before Me</span></em></div>
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In the fall of 2013 my life started flashing before me. Every few hours I'd get flashes of memories from childhood that I'd completely forgotten, followed by stuff from my teen years, then something from adulthood. It was always poignant, different each time: like playing with a beloved toy, my first crush, seeing my husband for the first time, watching my son take his first steps. Though much got packed in these were over in a flash, until the next one. This had never happened to me before and it was jarring. I said to my husband, My God, it is like what they say happens when you're dying. It has not happened again since I was diagnosed. Again, I think my body was trying to get my attention.</div>
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<em><span style="color: #0b5394;">The Lady Who Diagnosed Me With Breast Cancer In A Dream</span></em></div>
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When I did my annual appointment in November I was under no suspicion of breast cancer whatsoever. This was just a routine screening. In between having the scan and receiving the results I dreamed a woman in a lab coat said to me, "you have Stage 3 breast cancer". I woke up startled and her imagine was burned into my memory. I said that I would know this woman if I saw her on the street. Once I was diagnosed with (Stage 1) breast cancer I joined a local cancer support organization. I had to meet with a counselor to sign some papers. This woman walked over to me I thought I would pass out. It was the woman from my dream! She said she is a nurse and a breast cancer survivor herself. There's the white coat! During our appointment I was foggy and distracted, but I didn't say a word to her about any of it. What could I say? Nice to meet you, now get this.... </div>
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Mine is Stage 1 but in the dream she said Stage 3. If the dream was right about my having cancer to begin with then why was it wrong about the stage? Is there something I don't know yet or is this a warning about the future? Or, perhaps it means nothing at all. Maybe it is all just one big coincidence? Who knows? Time will tell.</div>
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<em><span style="color: #0b5394;">I Dreamt of Recurrence In The Other Breast</span></em><br />
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>A few days after my diagnosis I dreamed someone put an x-ray of my chest on a screen. It contained the tumor on the right side, but another on the left. I just had an MRI and no tumor was detected on my left side, but the dream was suggested there was, or would be.<br />
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I'm a pretty data driven person, so I'd never make a major medical decision based just on a dream. But I'll be honest: given my history of precognitive dreams I was rattled. My first thought was that I needed to get a mastectomy. But since I do not have BRCA 1 or 2 my surgeon thought it unnecessary. He says the data shows no difference in survival rates between women who have mastectomy vs. those who do lumpectomy and radiation. He also said the statistical chances of getting cancer in the other breast is small. I began leaning toward radiation but the decision never felt good in my gut. And then...................</div>
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Last week I received additional markers on my tumor. I am Her2 3+, which gives me a better than average chance of getting breast cancer again. I wasn't surprised. In fact, I kept insisting to my husband that I was going to be Her 2 positive, but he no way since Triple Positive Breast Cancer is rare (My tumor was also estrogen and progesterone positive). I was right.</div>
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There are several rare mutations some breast cancer patients have that render them sensitive to radiation. If these patients receive radiation in one breast it increases their risk of developing breast cancer in the other one. I am being tested for these mutations to help me make my final decision on surgery vs. radiation, but I'm leaning toward mastectomy. (Update: I have no known cancer genes. I had a lumpectomy and radiation.)</div>
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<em><span style="color: #0b5394;">In Retrospect</span></em><br />
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Given my history of pre-cognitive dreams you may wonder why I didn't move on this sooner. I guess since the vast majority of my dreams are NOT precognitive it can be hard to separate normal nocturnal gibberish from actual warnings. And when the message is YOU HAVE CANCER you hope that's just fear based fodder for the gibberish bin so that's what you choose to believe. Yet, if I'd heeded my body's warnings and got checked when I first found the lump in September that could have meant not needing chemotherapy. But I'd had several lumps pop up over the last few years. I ran straight to my doctor and they ended up just cysts, so I assumed this would be too. I was wrong. <a href="http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/features/elizabeth-edwards-breast-cancer">The same thing happened to the late Elizabeth Edwards</a>. So my message is this: no matter how many lumps you've had checked out that turned out to be cysts, never assume. Let the doctors tell you what it is and is not. </div>
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Moonbeams and Eco-Dreamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08921310649674603891noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204988994647648157.post-77938315230537643442013-12-13T14:16:00.005-08:002018-03-30T12:24:48.646-07:00Introducing Elizabeth: Our First Reader Supported Kiva Borrower<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
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I am working on a project so it has been a while since I've written here. But I just had to tell you that Moonbeams and Eco-Dreams and its readers have issued their first <a href="http://www.kiva.org/home">Kiva</a> loan!<br />
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You may recall that this blog is an Amazon.com affiliate. That means any time you access Amazon through one of the banners here and make a purchase I earn a small percentage. <em>One hundred percent</em> of my affiliate profits are donated to Kiva, a non-profit micro-lending organization that makes no-interest business loans to entrepreneurs in the developing world. Since Kiva borrowers lack collateral they are often overlooked by traditional lending institutions. You are lending a hand to hard working people who had no other opportunities.<br />
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Here's how it works. Each borrower lists the amount of money he or she needs to raise then individuals from around the world each make $25 donations until the loan is fulfilled. When the loan is repaid I will re-issue our funds to another borrower in a cycle of lending and re-lending that will continue indefinitely. The impact of our initial twenty-five dollars, then, can transform into hundreds of dollars lent across time.<br />
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Elizabeth is a single mother of four from Ghana who sells bread and beverages to support her family. She seeks this loan to purchase more inventory in order to increase sales.<br />
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To date Moonbeams and Eco-Dreams has earned thirty-five dollars in affiliate profits. Twenty-eight of that went into fulfilling this loan today and its administrative costs. Thank you for your support.<br />
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To help fulfill the rest of Elizabeth's loan or to lend to another Kiva borrower join our team page <a href="http://www.kiva.org/team/moonbeams__ecodreams_and_its_readers">here</a> or create your own.<br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Kiva in the News:</span></strong><br />
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<a href="http://www.latimes.com/features/aranet/living/ara-8072840101-20121207,0,824056.adstory#axzz2nOWe8Q00">Join the next generation of doing good - philanthropy 2.0 - The L.A. Times</a><br />
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<br />Moonbeams and Eco-Dreamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08921310649674603891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204988994647648157.post-24871246836457376592013-09-28T11:10:00.005-07:002013-10-02T17:22:06.459-07:00 Elderberry Fights Flu and H1N1 - Research Studies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's that time of year when I start getting my herbal medicine kit ready for winter. One of my perennial favorites is elderberry (sambucol) for its cold and flu fighting properties.<br />
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<span role="menubar">Elderberry has been used in folk medicine for centuries to combat cough and respiratory infections and now its efficacy is affirmed by modern science.</span><br />
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<a href="http://media.photobucket.com/user/ArtemisWulf/media/Herbs/elderberry.jpg.html?filters[term]=elderberry&filters[primary]=images&filters[secondary]=videos&sort=1&o=11">Image credit</a><br />
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Studies suggest it is best to take elderberry with first onset of symptoms, as it shortens the severity and duration of colds and flu. Researchers believe this herb actually inactivates flu viruses and stimulates the immune system (1). There are few known side effects with short term use, which is considered less than five days. (2)<br />
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<span role="menubar">The National Institute of Health Office of Complimentary Medicine acknowledges elderberry's efficacy in studies, but would like more data before recommending this herb as a first line of defense in combating flu. I, however, was convinced by the data I saw and decided to try elderberry during last winter season. Take a look.</span><br />
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<span role="menubar" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>STUDIES</strong></span><br />
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<span role="menubar"><a abstractlink="yes" alsec="jour" alterm="J Altern Complement Med." aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9395631#" role="menuitem" title="Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.).">J Altern Complement Med.</a></span> 1995 Winter;1(4):361-9.<br />
<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9395631">Inhibition of influenza virus strains in vitro and reduction of symptoms by an elderberry extract during an outbreak of influenza B Panama</a><br />
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Elderberry inhibited replication of various influenza virus types during an outbreak in Panama.<br />
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<span class="nowrap" id="result_sel"></span>This was a placebo-controlled double blind study.<br />
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<span role="menubar"><a abstractlink="yes" alsec="jour" alterm="J Int Med Res." aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15080016#" role="menuitem" title="The Journal of international medical research.">J Int Med Res.</a></span> 2004 Mar-Apr;32(2):132-40.</div>
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<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15080016">Randomized Study of Efficacy and Safety of Oral Elderberry Extract in the Treatment of Influenza A and B- Infections</a><br />
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Randomized, placebo-controlled, double blind study during an influenza season in Norway. In the elderberry group symptoms were relieved an average of four days earlier and they required significantly less rescue medication than the control group.<br />
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<span class="citation-abbreviation">BMC Complement Altern Med. </span><span class="citation-publication-date">2011; </span><span class="citation-volume">11</span><span class="citation-issue"></span><span class="citation-flpages">: 16. </span><br />
<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3056848/">Inhibitory activity of a standard elderberry liquid against clinically relevant human bacterial pathogens and human influenza A and B viruses</a><br />
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Found elderberry liquid extract treatment reduces spread of the virus in cell culture.<br />
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Anti-in<em>Biosci Biotechnol Biochem</em>, 76(9):1633-8, 2012<br />
<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22972323">Influenza virus effects of elderberry juice and its fractions</a><br />
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Elderberry stimulated immune response and prevented viral infection in mice.<br />
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<em>Altern Med Rev</em>, 10(1):51-4, Mar 2005<br />
<a href="http://healthresearchdirect.com/2012/11/new-study-confirms-elderberry-extract-helps-fight-colds-and-flu/">Monograph, Sambucus nigra (elderberry)</a><br />
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<span role="menubar"><a abstractlink="yes" alsec="jour" alterm="Phytochemistry." aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19682714#" role="menuitem" title="Phytochemistry.">Phytochemistry.</a></span> 2009 Jul;70(10):1255-61<br />
<span class="highlight">Elderberry</span> flavonoids bind to and prevent H1N1 infection in vitro<br />
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<u><span style="color: #0066cc;">other Res.</span></u> 2010 Jan;24(1):1-8. doi: 10.1002/ptr.2729.<br />
<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19548290">A systematic review on the sambuci fructus effect and efficacy profiles.</a><br />
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A comprehensive review of available studies found that elderberry seems to be useful in viral influenza infections. However, the authors would like to see more research done before elderberry is recommended as standard treatment protocol for flu. <br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">My Experience:</span></strong><br />
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I<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> took elderberry with symptom onset and sometimes I ended up not getting sick at all. Two times I took it a few days into a cold and those illness were mild and short. I've never had the flu.</span> <br />
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<span class="highlight" style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><em>Raw elderberries are toxic and should never be eaten. Only product made from elderberry syrup is safe for consumption. I only buy mine from high quality, reputable suppliers. My favorite brand is Gaia Herbs Organic Elderberry.</em></span><br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=autmomrisembt-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001TLH5CU&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=autmomrisembt-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0036THLNQ&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=autmomrisembt-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B005HNX2WS&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
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<strong><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Who Should Not Take Elderberry</span></strong><br />
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<em><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">-People with autoimmune conditions should check with their doctor first, as elderberry can stimulate the immune system.</span></em><br />
<em><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">-Pregnant and nursing women</span></em><br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Resources:</span></strong><br />
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1 <a href="http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/news/20031222/elderberry-fights-flu-symptoms">Elderberry Fights Flu Symptoms - Web MD</a><br />
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2 <a href="http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/elderberry">Elderberry - The University of Maryland</a><br />
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3 <a href="http://nccam.nih.gov/health/euroelder?nav=gsa">European Elder - National Institute of Health</a><br />
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4 <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/01/16/flu-fighters-natural-ways-to-combat-flu-season/">Flu Fighters: Natural Ways To Fight Flu This Winter</a> - Fox News<br />
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**This article is for research purposes and is not intended as medical advise.<br />
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****This is not a sponsored post. This blog is an amazon.com affiliate, however. One hundred percent of affiliate profits will be donated to Kiva, a not-for-profit micro-lending organization that makes no interest loans to low income entrepreneurs in the developing world. For more information see the <a href="http://moonbeamsecodreams.blogspot.com/p/kiva-project-faq.html">Kiva Campaign</a> banner to the top right of this page.<br />
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**This post is linked to <a href="http://frugallysustainable.com/">Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways.</a><br />
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Tags: Elderberry for cold and flu, Elderberry research, herbs, herbal medicine<br />
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<br />Moonbeams and Eco-Dreamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08921310649674603891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204988994647648157.post-53173316890014355112013-09-27T14:13:00.000-07:002013-10-02T17:23:32.086-07:00Why Antibacterial Soaps Are Risky and Pointless<a href="http://photobucket.com/images/germs" target="_blank"><img alt="germs photo: germs germs_zps7e1899d0.jpg" border="0" src="http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t214/ktandbo/Playgroup/germs_zps7e1899d0.jpg" /></a>
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It's that time of year when we look to cold and flu prevention. For decades antibacterial soap has been our first line of defense against germs, but research suggests the risks of these products may outweigh any benefits.<br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">HEALTH RISKS</span></strong><br />
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<em><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Antibacterial soap contains triclosan, a chemical that alters thyroid and testosterone levels and reproductive hormones. </span></em><em><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Though research has been conducted mostly on a variety of animals that have similar hormone systems to us, the conclusions are damning. It has been linked to infertility and thyroid problems.</span></em><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><em><strong>Studies</strong></em></span><br />
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1. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/uteh20?open=73#vol_73">Volume 73</a>, <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/uteh20/73/24"> Issue 24</a>, 2010<br />
<a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15287394.2010.516241#.UkWCwnjD_IU">Maternal Exposure To Triclosan Impairs Thyroid Homeostasis and Female Pubertal Developmental In Female Wistar Rat Offspring</a><br />
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"Data indicate that triclosan impairs thyroid homeostasis and reproductive toxicity in adult rats and produces fetal toxicity in offspring exposed in utero, during lactation, and after weaning."<br />
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2. Toxicological Sciences, <span class="accepted-label">Accepted </span>October 15, 2008. <br />
<a href="http://toxsci.oxfordjournals.org/content/107/1/56.short">The Effects of Triclosan on Puberty and Thyroid Hormones in Male Wistar Rats</a><br />
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Talks about how triclosan has been found to alter hormones in a variety of species. Studied the effect triclosan on thyroid and puberty development in the Wistar Rat. Serum testosterone and T3 and T4 levels (thyroid hormones) were significantly decreased with triclosan exposure. Conclusion: triclosan significantly affects the thyroid of the Wistar Rat, but has no impact on early puberty.<br />
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3. L<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=triclosan+thyroid">ist of studies on PubMed concerning triclosan and thyroid</a>. Too many to put here.<br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">WHY ANTIBACTERIAL SOAP IS POINTLESS</span></strong><br />
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<em><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Research shows that washing hands with antibacterial soap is no more effective at removing germs than cleaning with plain soap and water.</span></em> <br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><em><strong>Studies</strong></em></span><br />
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<span role="menubar"><a abstractlink="yes" alsec="jour" alterm="Clin Infect Dis." aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17683018#" role="menuitem" title="Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.">Clin Infect Dis.</a></span> 2007 Sep 1;45 Suppl 2:S137-47.<br />
<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17683018">Consumer Antibacterial Soaps: Effective or Just Risky?</a><br />
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This review of existing scientific literature found antibacterial soap no more effective at preventing illness and reducing bacterial levels on hands than plain soap and water. It suggests that bacteria may adapt to antibacterial soaps, becoming more difficult to combat with medication. Twenty-seven studies were reviewed.<br />
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<span role="menubar"><a abstractlink="yes" alsec="jour" alterm="Ann Intern Med." aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14996673?dopt=Abstract#" role="menuitem" title="Annals of internal medicine.">Ann Intern Med.</a></span> 2004 Mar 2;140(5):321-9<br />
<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14996673?dopt=Abstract">Effect of antibacterial home cleaning and hand washing products on disease symptoms: a randomized, double blind trial</a><br />
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Concludes that tested products did not reduce incidence of disease.<br />
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<a href="http://2000%20annual%20meeting%20of%20the%20american%20medical%20association%20-%20use%20of%20antimicrobals%20in%20consumer%20products/">The American Medical Association</a> and <a href="http://www.psr.org/environment-and-health/confronting-toxics/pesticides/triclosan.html">Physicians for Social Responsibility</a> now caution against the use of anti-bacterial soaps. Why are these products still used in doctors offices and hospitals?<br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Products That Contain Triclosan</span></strong><br />
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The Environmental Working Group has compiled an extensive <a href="http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/browse.php?containing=706623">list of products and brands that contain triclosan</a>. You will be astounded at how many every day products contain it.<br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My Thoughts</span></strong><br />
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Yet another example of corporations and government regulators exposing us to chemicals without adequate safety testing. We tend to assume if it is on the shelf that means it has been vetted. In many cases that simply does not happen. It is a policy of innocent until proven guilty. Unfortunately this can mean decades of exposure before we fully understand how these chemicals have harmed us. <br />
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I use Dr. Bronner's Castille Soap in reused foaming soap dispensers. I fill it half with Dr. Bronner's and half with water. It foams quite a bit. A safe alternative to the toxic stuff and cuts my soap cost in half. <a href="http://wholenewmom.com/whole-new-budget/homemade-foaming-soap/">A little Pinterest trick</a>.<br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">References</span></strong><br />
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<a href="http://www.ama-assn.org/ama1/pub/upload/mm/443/csaa-00.pdf">2000 Annual Meeting of the American Medical Association - Use of Antimicrobals in Consumer Products</a><br />
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<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/791934.stm">Antibacterial Soap May Not Work - BBC News</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/news/20070817/plain-soap-as-good-as-antibacterial">Plain Soap as Good as Antibacterial - Web MD</a><br />
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<a href="http://news.msn.com/science-technology/does-anti-bacterial-soap-increase-the-risk-of-infertility?stay=1">Does Antibacterial Soap Increase The Risk Of Infertility - MSN News</a><br />
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<a href="http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2013/05/03/popular-antibacterial-soap-ingredient-draws-fda-scrutiny/">Popular Antibacterial Soap Draws FDA Scrutiny - ABC News</a><br />
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<a href="http://foxnewsinsider.com/2013/05/03/studies-show-links-between-lipstick-antibacterial-soaps-and-health-issues">New Health Concerns Over Lipstick, Antibacterial Soap - Fox News Insider</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/2005/1212-fighting_cold_and_flu_germs.htm">Microbiologists Find Soap and Water Best For Washing Hands, Removing Germs - Science Daily</a><br />
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***This post is linked to <a href="http://frugallysustainable.com/">Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways</a>.<br />
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Tags: toxic chemicals in every day products, triclosan, antibacterial soap, Moonbeams and Eco-Dreamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08921310649674603891noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204988994647648157.post-3526016461240952802013-09-21T18:22:00.001-07:002013-09-30T03:39:00.782-07:00Terracycle: Funding Your Favorite Non-Profit Organization With Garbage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S5kO66Dr6H8/Uj1qEYNzI5I/AAAAAAAAAJA/WlBQs5O1KRA/s1600/terracyclelogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S5kO66Dr6H8/Uj1qEYNzI5I/AAAAAAAAAJA/WlBQs5O1KRA/s1600/terracyclelogo.jpg" /></a></div>
Once I dreamt I was on a spaceship with people who looked human but were not human. We eventually landed on a planet that looked like earth but was not earth. Its trees and grasses were purple and blue rather than our many shades of green. They took me inside a house that looked similar to what we have here except that there was no waste. Everything, even the garbage, fed into something else that helped run the home. The place was a highly efficient feedback loop.<br />
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Around that time I found Terracycle. My son attends a school for children with learning differences. Like any school we are always trying to raise money to cover costs, so I signed us up for this upcycling program.<br />
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<a href="http://photobucket.com/images/terracycle" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="terracycle photo: terr-1.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa352/jerseytrashclothing/terr-1.jpg" /></a></div>
It works like this: Terracycle takes items not typically recyclable, like chips bags and energy bar wrappers, and turns them into things that do not get thrown away, like picnic tables and park benches. Your organization gets paid one or two cents per item depending on shipment size. It really adds up. And, it teaches the children important lessons about environmental stewardship. Some parents tell me how the program has changed the way their children see garbage. They will not allow anything to be thrown away at home now that can become something else.<br />
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So basically, this pile of thousands of potato chip bags,<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZTXkoBHazmA/Uj48_zIj9WI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/N-9HL8MrV6k/s1600/terracyclechips.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZTXkoBHazmA/Uj48_zIj9WI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/N-9HL8MrV6k/s320/terracyclechips.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
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and these stacks of a gazillion energy bar wrappers and Capri Sun pouches<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O6Z0_vPldC4/Uj1rKqwZWuI/AAAAAAAAAJM/l5rZPXF26DU/s1600/terracyclemobile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O6Z0_vPldC4/Uj1rKqwZWuI/AAAAAAAAAJM/l5rZPXF26DU/s320/terracyclemobile.jpg" width="306" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UM9y5am_9WU/Uj1rtEhjsqI/AAAAAAAAAJU/KEbHOPcJ-EA/s1600/terracycle.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UM9y5am_9WU/Uj1rtEhjsqI/AAAAAAAAAJU/KEbHOPcJ-EA/s320/terracycle.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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will become stuff like this,<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zQcE7PjqGyw/Uj4-dR9eCzI/AAAAAAAAAKc/hddpJFFCOyI/s1600/Terracyclebench.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zQcE7PjqGyw/Uj4-dR9eCzI/AAAAAAAAAKc/hddpJFFCOyI/s320/Terracyclebench.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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or this,<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lWb0VcR7RfQ/Uj4-_RVTJUI/AAAAAAAAAKk/BdTbjtYwvDo/s1600/terracyclepicnictable.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lWb0VcR7RfQ/Uj4-_RVTJUI/AAAAAAAAAKk/BdTbjtYwvDo/s320/terracyclepicnictable.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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or this.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lMIIRQysmv4/Uj4_m_v7-OI/AAAAAAAAAKw/ztV28ANa_hI/s1600/terracyclebackpack.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lMIIRQysmv4/Uj4_m_v7-OI/AAAAAAAAAKw/ztV28ANa_hI/s320/terracyclebackpack.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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And when the backpack wears out it can be sent to Terracycle to be turned into something else. <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TEV5NCV631s/Uj5Cg2roknI/AAAAAAAAAK8/-88jBt2FrXE/s1600/terracyclerecycle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TEV5NCV631s/Uj5Cg2roknI/AAAAAAAAAK8/-88jBt2FrXE/s1600/terracyclerecycle.jpg" /></a></div>
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There are many items that can be collected, but we choose to focus on those not accepted by local recycling banks:<br />
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Salty snack bags (ie. potato chips, pretzels, etc.)<br />
Children's drink pouches (Capri Sun, Honest Kids, etc.)<br />
Energy bar wrappers and cereal bar wrappers<br />
Cheese packaging (any, including singles)<br />
Pens, markers, and Sharpies<br />
Candy bar wrappers<br />
Diaper packaging and baby wipes packaging (soft)<br />
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Special thanks to <a href="http://www.unitychurchofmiddletown.com/">Unity of East Louisville</a>, <a href="http://www.stmam.com/">St. Matthews Area Community Ministries</a>, and my family in Kentucky and Georgia for collecting items for us. If your Louisville, Kentucky based family or organization would like to save items for the school please contact me at moonbeams_and_ecodreams at yahoo dot com. <br />
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We have been collecting for a while now. By Christmas the school should receive a check for around three hundred dollars. <br />
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As I was packing boxes of Terracycle for shipment one day it hit me - this is like in my dream. A feedback loop without waste, where one thing feeds into another. Hmmh. How about that?<br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Resources:</span></strong><br />
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<a href="http://www.terracycle.com/en-US/">Terracycle</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.terracycle.com/en-US/products.html">Terracycle products</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Terracycle In The News:</strong></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/greenliving/Terracycle-wins-Green-Innovator-award.html">Terracycle Wins Green Innovator Award - Philly.com</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaKoBuVZ_AI">Terracycle on Good Morning America and Oprah</a><br />
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This post is linked with <a href="http://frugallysustainable.com/2013/09/frugal-days-sustainable-ways-91/">Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways</a>.<br />
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Tags: Eco Friendly Louisville, Green Living, Terracycle, Upcycling<br />
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<br />Moonbeams and Eco-Dreamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08921310649674603891noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204988994647648157.post-3033043880268624722013-09-15T12:53:00.001-07:002017-11-04T15:12:06.848-07:00How I Beat Severe Insomnia (Part III): EcoTools Sleep Mask <br />
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This is part three of my <em><a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://photobucket.com/images/hypnotherapy%22%20target=%22_blank%22%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://i1268.photobucket.com/albums/jj572/mindsighth01/MindSightHypnosisHypnotherapy2.jpg%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22hypnotherapy%20photo:%20MindSight%20Hypnosis%20amp%20Hypnotherapy%20MindSightHypnosisHypnotherapy2.jpg%22/%3E%3C/a%3E">How I Beat Severe Insomnia</a></em> series. <a href="http://moonbeamsecodreams.blogspot.com/2013/07/how-i-beat-severe-insomnia-with.html">Part one</a> discussed how I reset my circadian rhythms with light box treatments in the morning and blue blocker glasses after seven p.m. This system retrains my brain to produce sleep hormones at night instead of during the day. <a href="http://moonbeamsecodreams.blogspot.com/2013/08/how-i-beat-severe-insomnia-part-ii.html">Part two</a> details how a custom made hypnotherapy MP3 helps me fall asleep at night or fall back asleep if I wake up and have difficulty drifting off again. And, part three focuses on how my overall sleep quality improved by wearing sleep mask.<br />
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Our brains require complete darkness to sleep optimally and research reveals that light pollution disrupts this process. In fact, ambient light floods into our bedroom windows from streetlights, passing cars, our neighbors' floodlights, and even the full moon, disrupting sleep patterns by making our brains think it is morning. Items alight inside the room, such as LED lights from alarm clocks and televisions, trigger this problem as well. Not good. <br />
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Some people are more sensitive to this than others. Unfortunately, I am one of them.<br />
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For decades I had severe sleep problems. Jolts of adrenaline repeatedly woke me out of nowhere. Then what felt like electrical disturbances coursed through my head. I wondered if I had apnea or seizures or both. I'd already experienced major sleep benefits by reducing my light exposure after 7:00 p.m. by wearing blue blocker glasses, so I decided to do something about this ambient light exposure during sleep too. <br />
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I purchased an EcoTools sleep mask at my local health food store for $3.99, though the price appears to have increased since then.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>COMPANY VALUES AND ETHICS</strong></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.ecotools.com/">EcoTools</a> is actress Alicia Silverstone's eco-friendly, sustainable body care company. <a href="http://www.ecotools.com/our-story/ecotools-gives-back/">I like the environmental vision of EcoTools and that they donate money to causes</a>. The product is made in China, so I can't say where this business stands on ethical treatment of workers. Made in China doesn't always mean with exploited labor, though it can. It depends on the corporation. Alicia's social conscience concerning environmental causes and animal welfare is stellar, so I would hope she extends that kindness to human beings she employs. I took this one on faith.<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">REVIEW</span></strong><br />
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The product is made of bamboo, so unlike satin masks this one can go in the washing machine. The elastic is sturdy and the eye pillow feels like soft terry cloth. It does not easily slide down the face during sleep like cheaply made sleep masks.<br />
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From the first night I used this mask the adrenaline rushes and abnormal electrical activity in my head during sleep ceased. I was stunned. Could subtle light exposure during sleep really trigger adrenaline rushes and haywire electrical activity in the brain? Then four days later I misplaced the mask and had to do without it for a few nights. Sure enough the problem returned with a vengeance. I bought a second mask and the activity stopped again, never to return. I now keep two EcoTools sleep masks on my night table in case one gets misplaced.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Dr. Terman's Take On Sleep Masks</strong></span><br />
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My sleep guru, Dr. Terman of Columbia University Hospital's sleep clinic and author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Chronotherapy-Resetting-Inner-Alertness-Quality/dp/1583334726/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1379273422&sr=8-1&keywords=chronotherapy">Chronotherapy: Resetting Your Inner Clock to Boost Mood, Alertness, and Quality Sleep</a>, does not recommend sleep masks or black out curtains. Though he acknowledges the deleterious effects of light pollution during sleep, in his book Dr. Terman expresses concern that these interventions will block <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/28/AR2010062803820.html">exposure to the light of true dawn, which is crucial to circadian rhythm regulation</a>. But I tend to instinctively whip this mask off my face at around 5:00 a.m. anyhow, so I still experience dawn's first light piercing through my blinds like everyone else. Sometimes I just have to go with what works even when it is not recommended by the experts. <br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Other Post In This Series:</strong></span><br />
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<a href="http://moonbeamsecodreams.blogspot.com/2013/07/how-i-beat-severe-insomnia-with.html">How I Beat Severe Insomnia With A Light Box and Blue-Blocker Glasses</a><br />
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<a href="http://moonbeamsecodreams.blogspot.com/2013/08/how-i-beat-severe-insomnia-part-ii.html">How I Beat Severe Insomnia: Hypnosis</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Resources:</strong></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/28/AR2010062803820.html">Circadian rhythms are powerful, but people can change their sleep-wake cycles - The Washington Post</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.physics.fau.edu/observatory/lightpol-prevent.html">Prevent Light Pollution - Florida Atlantic University</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/14/AR2011021404136.html">Free app adjusts color on monitors to prevent disruption of sleep cycle - The Washington Post</a><br />
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<span class="citation-abbreviation">Environ Health Perspect. </span><span class="citation-publication-date">2009 January; </span><span class="citation-volume">117</span><span class="citation-issue">(1)</span><span class="citation-flpages">: A20–A27. </span><br />
<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2627884/">Missing the Dark: Health Effects of Light Pollution</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.ecotools.com/">Eco-Tools</a><br />
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This post is linked with <a href="http://frugallysustainable.com/2013/09/frugal-days-sustainable-ways-90/">Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways. </a><br />
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*This is not a sponsored post. This blog is an Amazon.com affiliate, though. All affiliate profits earned <a href="http://moonbeamsecodreams.blogspot.com/p/kiva-project-faq.html">will be donated to Kiva</a>, a not-for-profit micro-lending organization that makes no interest business loans to low income entrepreneurs in the developing world.<br />
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</iframe>Moonbeams and Eco-Dreamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08921310649674603891noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204988994647648157.post-2345652472482833702013-09-08T13:21:00.001-07:002013-09-26T12:02:41.294-07:00Some Essential Oils Inhibit MRSA, Influenza, & Strep - Scientific Studies<a href="http://photobucket.com/images/essential%20oils" target="_blank"><img alt="essential oils photo: Essential oils essential-oil.jpg" border="0" src="http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n406/mali_prst/essential-oil.jpg" /></a>
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Photo Credit: Photobucket <br />
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My workplace strives to become Louisville's first green pre-school. Since this is right up my alley our director has invited me to do some of the legwork.<br />
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My first project was to register us with <a href="http://www.terracycle.com/en-US/">Terracycle</a>, a non-profit organization that turns typically discarded packaging, like salty snack bags and energy bar wrappers, into stuff that does not get thrown away, like picnic tables and park benches. And, since preschools are perpetual germ factories now I'm researching the anti-microbial properties of essential oils (for diffusion). Next I will raise funds for a steam vacuum so the babies don't have to crawl on floors cleaned with harsh chemicals.<br />
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I've learned that some essential oils have actually been studied for their anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. Here is a sample of the many studies available on Pub Med.<br />
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<a href="http://photobucket.com/images/essential%20oils" target="_blank"><img alt="essential oils photo: Lemon_a lemons.jpg" border="0" src="http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk10/adorable_bear/Essential%20Oils/lemons.jpg" /></a>
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Photobucket<br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">STREP</span></strong><br />
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<span role="menubar"><a abstractlink="yes" alsec="jour" alterm="Evid Based Complement Alternat Med." aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23662123#" role="menuitem" title="Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM.">Evid Based Complement Alternat Med.</a></span> 2013;2013:269161<br />
<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23662123">In Vitro Antibacterial Activity of <span class="highlight">Essential Oils</span> against <span class="highlight">Streptococcus</span> pyogenes</a>.<br />
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This study used a disc infusion method to test the in vitro anti-bacterial aspects of eighteen different essential oils against streptococcus pyogenes, a bacteria that causes strep throat. Fourteen of the oils demonstrated anti-bacterial action against Streptococcus pyogenes. These include, among others: cinnamon, lemongrass, thyme, oregano, and winter savory. This study suggests that these oils might be helpful to patients suffering from bacterial throat infections.<br />
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<span role="menubar"><a abstractlink="yes" alsec="jour" alterm="J Contemp Dent Pract." aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22430697#" role="menuitem" title="The journal of contemporary dental practice.">J Contemp Dent Pract.</a></span> 2012 Jan 1;13(1):71-4.<br />
<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22430697"><span style="font-size: small;">Antimicrobial activity of commercially available <span class="highlight">essential</span> <span class="highlight">oils</span> against Streptococcus mutans</span>.</a><br />
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This study tested the in vitro effectiveness of nine essential oils against Streptococcus mutans. Cinnamon oil was most effective against Streptococcus mutans followed by lemongrass oil, cedarwood oil, clove oil, and eucalyptus oil. Wintergreen oil, lime oil, peppermint oil and spearmint oil had no antibacterial effectiveness. The authors suggest the useful oils as a possible alternative to other antibacterial agents for treating oral infections.<br />
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<em>J. Antimicrob. Chemother.<span class="slug-pub-date" itemprop="datePublished"> (2001) </span> <span class="slug-vol"> 47 </span><span class="slug-issue"> (5): </span><span class="slug-pages"> 565-573. </span></em><br />
<a href="http://jac.oxfordjournals.org/content/47/5/565.full">Antibacterial activity of essential oils and their major constituents against respiratory tract pathogens by gaseous contact</a><br />
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The anti-bacterial effectiveness of fourteen essential oils in their vaporized states was examined against <em>Haemophilus influenzae</em>, <em>Streptococcus pneumoniae</em>, <em>Streptococcus pyogenes</em> and <em>Staphylococcus aureus. </em>All of the oils showed activity, but<em> c</em>inammon, lemongrass, and thyme (wild and red) were the most impressive, suppressing all of these and e coli too (except lemongrass), which was used as a control. They hyper-link above leads to the complete study. <em> </em><br />
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<span role="menubar"><a abstractlink="yes" alsec="jour" alterm="BMC Complement Altern Med." aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22742534#" role="menuitem" title="BMC complementary and alternative medicine.">BMC Complement Altern Med.</a></span> 2012 Jun 28;12:81.l<br />
<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22742534">Chemical composition of 8 eucalyptus species' <span class="highlight">essential oils</span> and the evaluation of their antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral activities</a>.<br />
Studied the anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and antiviral activities in eight eucalyptus species. E. bicostata had the best anti-viral activity. " E. odorata showed the strongest activity against S. aureus, H. influenzae, S. agalactiae, S. pyogenes, S. pneumoniae and against all the tested fungal strains."<br />
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<span role="menubar"><a abstractlink="yes" alsec="jour" alterm="Evid Based Complement Alternat Med." aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22685486#" role="menuitem" title="Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM.">Evid Based Complement Alternat Med.</a></span> 2012;2012<br />
<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22685486">Antimicrobial Activity of <span class="highlight">Essential Oils</span> against <span class="highlight">Streptococcus</span> mutans and their Antiproliferative Effects</a>. <br />
"EO showed activity at low concentrations, and their selected active fractions were also effective against biofilm formed by S. mutans and human tumor cell lines." This abstract does not say which oils were tested. <br />
<br />
<span role="menubar"><a abstractlink="yes" alsec="jour" alterm="J Food Sci." aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22416707#" role="menuitem" title="Journal of food science.">J Food Sci.</a></span> 2011 Nov-Dec;76(9):H226-30<br />
<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22416707"><span class="highlight">Essential</span> oil of Curcuma longa inhibits <span class="highlight">Streptococcus</span> mutans biofilm formation.</a><br />
Found turmeric oil inhibits carcinogenic properties of strep mutans.<br />
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<u><span style="color: #0066cc;"></span></u><span role="menubar"><a abstractlink="yes" alsec="jour" alterm="Molecules." aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22105714#" role="menuitem" title="Molecules (Basel, Switzerland).">Molecules.</a></span> 2011 Nov 21;16(11):9651-64<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22105714"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22105714">Biological activity of carbazole alkaloids and <span class="highlight">essential</span> oil of Murraya koenigii against antibiotic resistant microbes and cancer cell lines.</a><br />
Found curry oil inhibits anti-biotic resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus (210P JTU), Psedomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 25619), Klebsiella pneumonia (SR1-TU), Escherchia coli (NI23 JTU) and Streptococcus pneumonia. Also found that the oil exhibits anti-tumor properties against certain cell lines.<br />
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<a href="http://photobucket.com/images/flu" target="_blank"><img alt="flu photo: The Flu Flu.jpg" border="0" src="http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j119/nic_kles/Flu.jpg" /></a>
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<strong><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">INFLUENZA</span></strong><br />
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<span role="menubar"><a abstractlink="yes" alsec="jour" alterm="J Ethnopharmacol." aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22193174#" role="menuitem" title="Journal of ethnopharmacology.">J Ethnopharmacol.</a></span> 2012 Jan 31;139(2):668-71<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/J%20Ethnopharmacol.%202012%20Jan%2031;139(2):668-71">Chemical compositions and anti-<span class="highlight">influenza</span> activities of <span class="highlight">essential oils</span> from Mosla dianthera.</a><br />
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Mosla Dianthera oil reduced lung titers in influenza infected mice. It also inhibited pneumonia, reduced levels of serum IFN-γ and IL-4, and enhanced antioxidant activity in the lung tissue of the infected mice.<br />
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<span role="menubar"><a abstractlink="yes" alsec="jour" alterm="Antiviral Res." aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21095205#" role="menuitem" title="Antiviral research.">Antiviral Res.</a></span> 2011 Jan;89(1):83-8<br />
<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21095205">Activity of Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) oil on <span class="highlight">Influenza</span> virus A/PR/8: study on the mechanism of action</a>.<br />
<br />
Found tea tree oil effective at inhibiting influenza H1N1 in MDCK cells within the first two hours of exposure to the virus. This suggests that exposure to the oil inhibits an early step replication process of the virus. Exposure to the oil during later stages of infection had no effect.<br />
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<span role="menubar"><a abstractlink="yes" alsec="jour" alterm="BMC Complement Altern Med." aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21078173#" role="menuitem" title="BMC complementary and alternative medicine.">BMC Complement Altern Med.</a></span> 2010 Nov 15;10:69<br />
<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21078173">Protective <span class="highlight">essential</span> oil attenuates <span class="highlight">influenza</span> virus infection: an in vitro study in MDCK cells.</a><br />
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Found that the commercially available essential oil blend On Guard suppressed influenza virus PR8 in MDCK cells in a dose dependent manner. Abstract goes into exactly how and why.<br />
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<span role="menubar"><a abstractlink="yes" alsec="jour" alterm="Lett Appl Microbiol." aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19843207#" role="menuitem" title="Letters in applied microbiology.">Lett Appl Microbiol.</a></span> 2009 Dec;49(6):806-8<br />
<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19843207">In vitro antiviral <span class="highlight">activity</span> of <span class="highlight">Melaleuca alternifolia (Tea Tree)</span> essential <span class="highlight">oil</span>.</a><br />
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Tea tree oil shows antiviral <span class="highlight">activity</span> against influenza A/<span class="highlight">PR/8</span> virus subtype H1N1. <br />
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<a href="http://photobucket.com/images/hospital" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="hospital photo: hospital hospital.png" border="0" src="http://i1254.photobucket.com/albums/hh618/FLYINGLEMONADE/hospital.png" /></a><u> </u>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>MRSA (STAPH)</strong></span><br />
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<span role="menubar"></span><br />
<span role="menubar"><a abstractlink="yes" alsec="jour" alterm="Lett Appl Microbiol." aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19292822#" role="menuitem" title="Letters in applied microbiology.">Lett Appl Microbiol.</a></span> 2009 Apr;48(4):387-92.<br />
***<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19292822">Vapour-phase activities of essential oils against antibiotic sensitive and resistant bacteria including MRSA</a>***<br />
Diffused a mix of geranium and Lemongrass called BioScent in a ST Pro Machine. The oils were tested against antibiotic resistant and antibiotic sensitive strains like MRSA. They not only inhibited the growth of these bacteria, but reduced surface and airborne levels. However, results varied depending on method (89% & 39%). The authors conclude that BioScent may be useful as an air disinfectant. <br />
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<span role="menubar"><a abstractlink="yes" alsec="jour" alterm="Br J Community Nurs." aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15824699#" role="menuitem" title="British journal of community nursing.">Br J Community Nurs.</a></span> 2005 Mar;10(3):123-6<br />
<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15824699">Is tea tree oil effective at eradicating MRSA colonization? A review</a>.<br />
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This is a review of other studies on the topic. It concludes that tea tree would not be useful against MRSA.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"><span role="menubar" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a abstractlink="yes" alsec="jour" alterm="J Craniomaxillofac Surg." aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19473851#" role="menuitem" title="Journal of cranio-maxillo-facial surgery : official publication of the European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery.">J Craniomaxillofac Surg.</a></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> 2009 Oct;37(7):392-7. </span><br />
<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19473851"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The battle against multi-resistant strains: Renaissance of antimicrobial essential oils as a promising force to fight hospital-acquired infections</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Eucalyptus, Tea tree, Thyme white, Lavender, Lemon, Lemongrass, Cinnamon, Grapefruit,Clove Bud, Sandalwood, Peppermint, Kunzea and Sage oil were tested against staph</span><strong>. </strong><span style="font-size: small;">Thyme white, Lemon, Lemongrass and Cinnamon oil were most effective, but the other oils also demonstrated efficacy. The authors conclude that essential oils represent inexpensive and effective topical treatments for resistant MRSA and candida strains.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span role="menubar"><a abstractlink="yes" alsec="jour" alterm="J Appl Microbiol." aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22862808#" role="menuitem" title="Journal of applied microbiology.">J Appl Microbiol.</a></span> 2012 Nov;113(5):1217-27.<br />
<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22862808">The anti-biofilm activity of lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus) and grapefruit (Citrus paradisi) <span class="highlight">essential oils</span> against five strains of Staphylococcus aureus</a><br />
Used disc diffusion method. Tested lemongrass, grapefruit, bergamot and lime against staph. Found lemongrass had the most antimicrobial and anti-biofilm activity.<br />
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<span role="menubar"><a abstractlink="yes" alsec="jour" alterm="J Appl Microbiol." aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22372962#" role="menuitem" title="Journal of applied microbiology.">J Appl Microbiol.</a></span> 2012 May;112(5):1020-33.<br />
<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22372962">Antimicrobial effect and mode of action of terpeneless cold-pressed Valencia orange <span class="highlight">essential</span> oil on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus</a>.<br />
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<span role="menubar"><a abstractlink="yes" alsec="jour" alterm="Anaerobe." aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21521657#" role="menuitem" title="Anaerobe.">Anaerobe.</a></span> 2011 Dec;17(6):399-402. <br />
<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Antibacterial+activities+of+essential+oils+from+eight+Greek+aromatic+plants+against+clinical+isolates+of+Staphylococcus+aureus.">Antibacterial activities of <span class="highlight">essential oils</span> from eight Greek aromatic plants against clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus.</a><br />
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The abstract does not say which oils were tested, only that they were from Greece. It does say that the oils tested showed not efficacy against staph.<br />
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<span role="menubar"><a abstractlink="yes" alsec="jour" alterm="Appl Environ Microbiol." aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19749058#" role="menuitem" title="Applied and environmental microbiology.">Appl Environ Microbiol.</a></span> 2009 Nov;75(21):6850-5.<br />
<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19749058">Effect of cinnamon oil on icaA expression and biofilm formation by Staphylococcus epidermidis</a>.<br />
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Found cinnamon oil is an effective antimicrobial agent against staph biofilms on surfaces.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><u>Questions</u></strong></span><br />
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I'm not sure how to apply these results in the real world. Most of these studies were conducted in vitro, but would those results hold up outside a test tube? The few studies that diffused oils into the air suggest that they might. But they used industrial style diffusers. Can I get decent results with inexpensive ones bought online for twenty bucks a piece? Hard to say. <br />
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I do know that a growing number of hospitals and nursing homes are diffusing essential oils for various purposes to positive effect, so why not schools?<br />
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
<a href="http://www.nbcwashington.com/video/#!/news/health/Hospitals-Using-Alternative-Medicine-to-Ease-Kids--Pain/179719791">Hospitals Using Alternative Medicine to Ease Kids' Pain - NBC Washington</a><br />
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<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/manchester/6471475.stm">Essential Oils 'Combat Super Bug' - BBC News</a><br />
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<a href="http://guardianlv.com/2013/07/hospitals-using-essential-oils-to-boost-productivity-and-health-video/">Vanderbilt Hospital ER Diffuses Essential Oils - Fox News</a><br />
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We are not looking to treat the children for anything, though. We just want to kill big bad germs in the air and on surfaces, like we currently do with Lysol spray or Clorox Wipes. And, if this happens to obliterate the dirty diaper stink too, well hey, that's just an added bonus.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><u>Cautions:</u></strong></span></span><br />
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Though essential oils are generally recognized as safe, not all oils are good for all people and some oils have more cautions than others. For instance, Rosemary is contraindicated for pregnancy and epilepsy, but <a href="http://www.aromaweb.com/essential-oils/lemon-oil.asp">the citrus oils have few cautions</a>. Therefore, I wasn't the least bit surprised when the above Fox News clip said Vanderbilt Hospital ER uses a citrus blend. That would be the safest choice for the greatest number of people. I want to choose the safest oils for my work setting as well.<br />
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It is strep and influenza we see most in daycares. It looks like cinnamon and lemongrass are the most effective at inhibiting strep, followed by eucalyptus, thyme, and oregano. Tea tree appears to be the super star against influenza. So, let's take a look at the safety profiles of these oils.<br />
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<em>Cinnamon</em>: The manual "Essential Oils Safety", by Robert Tisserland lists several health conditions that should avoid exposure, so that rules out routine diffusion. We could still probably use it in the steam vacuum, though. <br />
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<em>Lemongrass</em>: Tisserland says to avoid in children. That's out. Bummer.<br />
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<em>Eucalyptus, thyme, and oregano:</em> The only cautions these three carry that could concern children is as a possible skin and mucous membrane irritant (Tisserland), but they would never come in direct contact with the oils.<br />
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<em>Tea Tree</em>: No major concerns beyond the usual skin irritation with direct contact (Tisserland).<br />
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<strong>AND THE WINNERS ARE.....</strong><br />
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Eucalyptus and Tea Tree on account of their positive safety profiles and pleasant aromas.<br />
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I hope you didn't get too lost among all that research. I know I did.<br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Related Posts:</span></strong><br />
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<a href="http://moonbeamsecodreams.blogspot.com/2013/07/can-vertiver-essential-oil-help-adhd.html">Can Vetiver Help ADHD & Autism?</a><br />
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<a href="http://moonbeamsecodreams.blogspot.com/2013/08/rosemary-essential-oil-improves-memory.html">Rosemary Essential Oil Improves Memory: Emerging Scientific Evidence</a><br />
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This post is linked to <a href="http://frugallysustainable.com/2013/09/frugal-days-sustainable-ways-89/">Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways</a>.<br />
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Tags: Essential Oils and flu, Aromatherapy and flu, strep, and MRSA, studies<br />
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<br />Moonbeams and Eco-Dreamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08921310649674603891noreply@blogger.com0