Stand Downs are one part of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ efforts to provide services to homeless veterans.  Stand Downs are typically one to three day events providing services to homeless veterans such as food, shelter, clothing, health screenings, VA and Social Security benefits counseling, and referrals to a variety of other necessary services, such as housing, employment and substance abuse treatment.  Stand Downs are collaborative events, coordinated between local VAs, other government agencies, and community agencies who serve the homeless.

The first Stand Down was organized in 1988 by a group of Vietnam veterans in San Diego.  Since then, Stand Downs have been used as an effective tool in reaching out to homeless veterans, reaching more than 200,000 veterans and their family members between 1994-2000.

So, with my friend Ed Coughlin , who I invited to come along and was completing his last year of acupuncture school, we arrived early in the morning and presented ourselves to the sergeant in charge. He asked what type of health care providers we were. I’m sure they needed to know in order to place us on one of the various tents they had erected on a large football field. They were expecting podiatrists, osteopaths, MDs, nurses, and other medical personnel.

“We are acupuncturists”, I replied. He scratched his head, thought for a minute and suddenly he seemed to have had a light-bulb moment and said: “See all that garbage over there? Pick all that up and put it on that dumpster next to that plastic outhouse, ok”?

Ed and I looked at each other in shock. We were wearing lab jackets and had come here to offer acupuncture and this man wants us to pick up garbage? Just as quickly as our state of shock came upon us, the realization that we had come here to “VOLUNTEER” brought us back to the present and with a smile we went to work.

It was around 10 am and the sun was beating down on us when a nurse came and asked if we dealt with pain. Imagine that! Hundreds of homeless veterans with back pain, shoulder pain, leg pain, should I go on? And the one weekend a year, when a token of “gratitude” for their time in the military is offered by way of medical services, there’s no one in the house, or should I say “under the tent”, who can offer these homeless veterans pain relief. Except, of course, the two guys picking garbage.

We were quickly ushered into a tent where other physicians were attending patients. We were given a little spot on the back of the tent with a little table for our needles and a chair.

Within minutes a line formed in front of us and we started working. They brought us another chair. Later an army cot followed by ice tea, smiles and pads on the back. The next day we had our own tent.

We treated dozens of homeless veterans that weekend including a couple of them who had ingrown toenails. The podiatrist didn’t make it the last day and we were asked to help. “You mean to tell me that acupuncture can treat ingrown toenails? - You ask. Well, no. But a little technique I learned in my native Colombia does wonders and did the trick on that memorable day.

Sunday afternoon we packed our needles and massage lotions. Cleaned our garbage and left the tent. The sergeant thanked us the other doctors shook our hands and into the gym we headed. Tears flowed on both Ed’s my eyes when several hundred veterans stood up and applauded us as a gesture of gratitude.

A Stand Down I’ll never forget…

Should then we remind the FDA that as of today, there is no way to diagnose FM? That’s right, no blood test, MRI, X-rays. The only approach is to test 18 points in the body with digital pressure. And should at least 11 of these points be tender, then a diagnosis of FM is made. And yes, I know, all those other ‘symptoms’ of FM such as poor memory, lack of sleep, brain fog, depression, poor digestion and the generalized pain are all part of this syndrome’s diagnosis.

Let me suggest to you that if you are in constant pain, then you can’t sleep, you become depressed, can’t think clearly and so on.. These are NOT symptoms of FM. Millions of people around the world suffer with these problems. These are side effects brought about from being in constant pain.

Now, how on earth does a drug with side effects similar to the symptoms of the syndrome it seeks to treat obtain FDA approval? From the FDA’s website:

The most common side effects of Lyrica include mild-to-moderate dizziness and sleepiness. Blurred vision, weight gain, dry mouth, and swelling of the hands and feet also were reported in clinical trials. The side effects appeared to be dose-related. Lyrica can impair motor function and cause problems with concentration and attention. FDA advises that patients talk to their doctor or other health care professional about whether use of Lyrica may impair their ability to drive.

And, should you discontinue to use Lyrica® then:

They also demonstrated that symptoms of fibromyalgia worsened when Lyrica was withdrawn.

So once you start taking this drug, you become a slave to it! That’s right! Because if you stop, according to them, the symptoms will come back with a vengeance. Here’s a link to 10 Things You Should Know About Lyrica.

But you are not the one in pain! I am!, shouts the afflicted. And you are right. But let me suggest to you that there are alternatives available should you be willing to become an active participant in the healing process. An “active participant”? What do you mean? I mean that to deal with this so called FM syndrome, you need to do much more than in the past.. Lyrica® and any other medication turns you into a passive participant. All you need to do is take a pill. Is that really what you want? One more pill in top of the other half a dozen you are now taking?

Anyway, I wrote this early this morning and there’s much more I can say about this and will in future entries. But for now, what do you think?

(I just read where they are going to do trial studies on children with fibromyalgia. A new demon is being created!)

Then one day, like a lighting, a revelation came upon me. I was causing the bloating. I was the reason my digestion had deteriorated in spite of maintaining a good diet, less adult beverages, and being a vegetarian. My own mouth was the problem. Not because of what went into it. But the words that came out it. “I’ve got to GET RID Of my gut” was a common phrase. “This GUT’S GOTTA GO! And it was. My intestines, my stomach and all my digestive processes where not longer functioning at their peak performance and “I” was the cause of it..I was speaking these symptoms into existence.

In an old book I used to read, it says that: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof”. And, “A man’s belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled.”.. I’m not trying to get religious on you here.. Trust me on that!. But these principles that govern the power of our words have been around for millennia and will continue to be true to the ends of time.

Another phrase that has caught my attention lately and one that I am l purging from my vocabulary is: “I’m sick of this”.  No wonder I have not been feeling up to par. ’I’m tired of this, I’m tired of that” No wonder I look tired! I keep telling my self how tired of this and that, and how sick of this and that I AM!

It is not what goes into a man’s mouth that defiles him. It’s what comes out of it!

If I can’t say anything kind to myself, then it is best to stay quiet.

Now i’m feeling better...and much more refreshed..

I also think that many mental attitudes have been planted in our subconscious by our doctor. I can’t tell you how many times patients have told me their MD said that they would “have to learn to live with this or that condition”. Any doctor who tells a patient that they have to learn to live with any physical infirmity is programming the patient’s mind for long term affliction.

The subconscious mind interprets that if that affliction is removed, the body will die and thus it needs to do anything to keep that problem around in order to stay alive. “I have to learn to LIVE with THIS or else I WILL DIE”. The words we speak to our patients are very powerful and they can make a big difference on whether healing takes place or not.

The mental environment is also a victim of what I like to call “the family history syndrome”. My mother had it, my sister died from it, my father got and so did his father and my brother was just got diagnosed with it and so I must get it too! Sounds familiar? Now, I’m not so ignorant as to not understand the role of genetics. But for crying out loud! let’s not buy into this idea that “I” must also “GET IT”! This is self-sabotage and self prophesy of doom! Yes, I may also come down with this or that just like my father did. But I’m not going to torture my mind into a state of anxiety and wait for the big C to come knocking on my door.

The second environment is our organic state of being. By this I’m referring to our actual organs. The liver, heart, kidney, intestines, stomach and so on.  We should first and foremost understand that *we* do not *own* our organs.. In other words, I don’t have a liver, or heart, kidney and so on. I AM these organs.. I am a liver, a kidney, a heart. Our emotions, thoughts, desires, wishes and everything that defines my personality is deeply embedded within the smallest fibers of the organs.

Organ transplants have demonstrated my point. Many organ transplant recipients have developed habits, appetites and memories which were not present before acquiring the new organ or tissue. Here’s link to and article by Dr. Paul Pearsall, who after performing numerous heart transplants has come to identify the phenomena of Cellular Memory.

It becomes evident then, that our memories, habits, appetites and other characteristic of each individual become engraved on the tissues of our body. This also underscores the importance that Chinese medicine places on the organs and the emotions.. In Chinese medicine each organ system has an emotion associated with it. For example, the Liver’s emotion is anger. Sadness for the Lungs while fear is for the kidneys.. Worry and over-thinking affects the stomach and spleen. The primary causes for organ dysfunction, Chinese medicine teaches, are the emotions.

Thus, the organic environment for a healthy body is preceded by a balanced mental environment. Taking pills for blood pressure, high liver enzymes or viral loads, kidney failure or excessive acidity in the stomach is only benefiting the pharmaceutical companies as long as the mental state continues to be in chaos.

Assuming the mental condition is being address through meditation, prayer, hypnosis, counseling or by whatever means available, the organic milieu can be brought to balance by various means depending on which part of ME is deficient. This can be accomplished through diet, organ massage, orthomolecular medicine and exercise. The latter being the most important.

The last environment I’ve come to identify is the physical. By this I mean our surroundings. Our home, office, car, hygiene, friends, noise, pollution and any other tangible, structural, visible, audible, aromatic item within our senses. This last one is perhaps the easiest to control. However, one can live in a beautiful place, listen to classical music or jazz, have a lovely garden and great view of the ocean or live in a riverfront property, but if the two environments above are neglected, we only have a nice place to be miserable in..

Fernando Bernall
Saint Augustine, FL

Think of tai chi as a free software application downloaded from the internet which has numerous features. However, the free version of this software is limited in usage and should the user wish to employ the full software a “key” or “code” would be provided once the application has been purchased. In other words, the software on your desktop already has the full version and you are allowed to use a limited number of features until you pay and then the “key” opens up the full potential and usability of the program.. 

So what is the Tai Chi Code? you ask. Practice! Uninterrupted, concentrated practice with undivided attention. But what if I practice wrong? No such thing.. The only wrong one can do is to not practice. It is within the programming of the tai chi software to self-correct with time and prolonged practice. All the needed data is already stored within the form and our body’s database is gradually populated through usage or practice.

But, as with any software application, its usability is dependent on the user’s needs and the interaction between the program and the operator’s input. First, we should define what is the purpose or what needs are to be met through the tai chi program. A few come to mind:

1. better health
2. improved sleep
3. digestion
4. emotional balance
5. flexibility
6. strength
7. martial applications
8. meditation

Once a need is identified, the application is customized to meet the user’s needs.  Let’s take item #6. strength, as the current application for the tai chi software. A well written program would inquire from the user what interaction is to take place. For example, the software may ask the user what part of the body needs strength. The user responds by indicating the legs need strength. The software may respond by instructing the user to practice the form with the knees bent deeper and to slow down the practice. It may also suggest that more standing meditation be included in daily practice..

Let’s take item #3. digestion. The software may suggest to practice after 30 past dinner or lunch thus improving peristalsis and stomach emptying. If improved sleep, item #2 is the current need, the software may suggest to practice early in the morning and 30 minutes before retiring for the night.

And we can go on with numerous examples on how tai chi practice parallels software applications.

I love to walk. The father of Western Medicine the Greek physician Hippocrates, said that walking was man’s best medicine. I often walk to my office. But the truth is that every time I take a walk, I end up very pissed off at the lack of courtesy most drivers have towards pedestrians.. At first I thought it was racial matter. But after much observation, I’ve come to the conclusion that it is not a matter of disdain towards to those off color, but it is ignorance, arrogance and just plain lack of respect for those walking around our town.

The city of St. Augustine, has recently passed a law against panhandlers in an effort to present a pretty face to our tourists. Like sweeping our dirt under the rug. But instead of targeting our homeless residents, how about enforcing laws that punish the actions of those megalomaniacs behind the wheel?

Unless some action is taken, walking in St. Augustine can be hazardous to your health.

I walked for a long time. I did a little Qi Gong, a little Tai Ji.. Stretched for a while, got my feet wet. The ocean was just perfect.. I decided that at least once a week I was going to not be reachable.. I was going to disconnect, if you will.. What a liberating thought; a phone break. I think we should declare a day of the week as a “Cell Free” day.. That’s right, no cell phone for that one day, period.

I think we are, as a society, suffering from a new syndrome I will call, “Cellphonitis” (just coined a new term   ) or a phone inflammation.. I mean, think about it, young children on 2nd grade and up already have cell phones. There was a time, way back when, that only those with some dough had a ‘mobile phone’ and you could tell because that huge antena on the back window stuck out like a sore thumb! Ah, yes, I forgot about the beepers. Boy, they went out like the eight tracks.. It was cool to have a beeper back then.. I remember a girl describing me to her mother and convincing her how cool I was by informing her I had beeper.. Of course, her mother knowing I’m from Colombia, probably thought it was for dealing dope.. Oh well..

But not today. Anyone can have a cell phone… tiny little ones, I think they call it the razor. People are driving while on their cell phones.. Particularly around five pm.. One hand on the steering wheel, the other on the cell phone. In fact, some use the shoulder to hold the phone to the ear, one hand driving and the other lighting up!

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But here’s the one that really gets me. When my patients come to the sessions and leave their cell phones on! And actually answer it should it ring!. And, the ring!  Folks have their cell phones programmed to play “heard it through the grapevine” or “hot stuff”!

But that’s ok. We’re holistic practitioners and we understand..(a bit of silence goes here)… NOT!

Imagine doing that to your GYN or the guy who checks your prostate! You are ready for the exam and there it goes, the cell rings with the theme of “leave it to Beaver”. ‘Excuse me’, you say, ‘please don’t insert anything in me while I answer this call’…

Of course not! You know in advance where you’re going and turn it off when you get there…

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Well, I had a wonderful morning on the beach.. So much so that I decided to stay for at least one more hour.. But unfortunately I didn’t have my cell on me to let my wife know.

So I went home…