Friday 30 January 2009

Happy Birthday Caz!


21 plus vat!

UFC 94 this weekend!
UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre vs. UFC Lightweight Champion B.J. Penn in a 170-pound title bout 205 lbs.:
Lyoto Machida (13-0) vs. Thiago Silva (13-0)
205 lbs.:
Stephan Bonnar (11-4) vs. Jon Jones (6-0)
155 lbs.:
Nate Diaz (10-2) vs. Clay Guida (24-9)
170 lbs.:
Karo Parisyan (18-5) vs. Dong Hyun "Stun Gun" Kim (11-0-1)

ill go GSP, but i'm torn between the two and would let Penn have the heart vote.

The Art of Extreme Self-Care by Cheryl Richardson ... It's time. Today. Right here. Right now. One decision is all it takes. And here's the amazing thing . . . When you finally decide to stop wishing for a better life and start doing what it takes to make it happen, you'll discover something miraculous: Your purpose. You'll come face-to-face with the highest and best way to be of service to others.

"A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials."

Thursday 29 January 2009

On your marks!

Monday morning i have an appointment at Clinic D with the consultant to discuss starting the pill and i guess that means the course starts next week! We have been given a reference number by the insurers but no letter as yet.

Picture of Caz and I dressed up last Saturday here! Think i scrubbed up pretty well! The good looking one has her birthday tomorrow! 21 again!

Its been a cold windy day in which i have felt exhausted and slept through the afternoon. Early night tonight i think. I have a conference call in the morning to discuss working at home, a process to gradually bring me back into the fold.

Helio Gracie died today at 95. What a legacy he leaves behind, impacting on the direction of martial arts in the world that shares a shelf with the likes of Bruce Lee and Dan Inosanto. I first heard of the Gracies through the late Sifu Larry Hartsell in 1988 and my instructor Rick Young was the first UK based Brit to train in 1990 with Rickson Gracie who was pioneering BJJ in the USA. Now in AMAG we have Peter Richardson pioneering it in Aberdeen at a level that is extraordinary.

Wednesday 28 January 2009

Up Helly Aa

As yet no developments.........[fingers tap impatiently on the table]

Thousands celebrate Up Helly Aa

Napoleon Hill, author of Think and Grow Rich, names and explains all the key elements
of making your vision (and dreams) come true.

He says it all starts with the most important one,
Desire.

So Fuel Your Fire of Desire.

You can have, be, do or achieve anything you truly DESIRE.

SO, Desire it. REALLY Desire It!

Sunday 25 January 2009

dinner and dance

Went to a dinner and dance last night. A table with my bosses and colleagues saw a great and sober night, spoilt only by a sight of my dancing on the floor! I'll post a pic when i get a copy of the full Welsh kilt on display!

I'm exhausted today though and with Caz at work i'll be walking the dog and making the tea - recipe below.

Ras al-Khaimah has 10" inches of snow! There is no word in their language for snow i am told. That's in the UAE. Climate change!

I received a dvd from Erik and Tonya Paulson via Bob Burgee on Neckcranks. Thanks guys! Still haven't made a decision on LA in March yet, but will do so in the next few weeks.


Erik Paulson - Neckbreaker Trailer - Watch more amazing videos here



Ingredients
For the baked leeks
2 leeks, cut diagonally into 10cm/4in pieces
2 tbsp vegetable oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
400g/14oz goats' cheese
175g/5¾oz unsalted butter
1 free-range egg
1 tbsp chopped fresh chives
To serve
2 large handfuls baby leaf spinach, washed
4 slices pumpernickel bread

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
2. For the baked leeks, place the leek pieces into an ovenproof dish and drizzle over the oil.
3. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then sprinkle over the chopped garlic.
4. Transfer the dish to the oven and roast for 12-15 minutes, or until the leeks have softened. Set aside to cool a little, then carefully remove the hardened outer skin on each piece of leek.
5. Meanwhile, in a bowl, beat together the cheese, butter and egg for about five minutes, until smooth and well combined. Season, to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then stir in the chives until well combined.
6. Preheat the grill to its highest setting.
7. Spoon a little of the cheese mixture onto each of the roasted leek pieces and press down gently.
8. When the grill is hot, place the leeks under it and grill for 3-4 minutes, or until the cheese mixture is golden-brown and bubbling.
9. To serve, divide the baby leaf spinach equally among each of four serving plates. Cut each slice of pumpernickel bread into fingers and place one piece of baked leek on top of each. Place one portion of bread and baked leeks alongside each portion of spinach. Serve immediately.

Friday 23 January 2009

YES! Communication!

Dear Mr Davies

I wonder if you have heard anything back from BUPA yet regarding your application for Sorafenib? I tried to contact them on the undernoted telephone number yesterday but it is 'unobtainable'. I have left a message on another number I found through the website but have had no result. I am out of the office on Monday but if I don't have anything definite in by my return I will need to try and chase this up again on Tuesday.

Kind regards,

xxx(PA to Dr xxxxx)

Hi XXX, just phoned BUPA and apparently they have given the go ahead, but
notification hasn't been sent out for no apparent reason.
I'm on the phone chasing them up as i type and will advise of any other information when i have it. They will call me back.[the department has been evacuated for some reason - is this the kitchen sink?]

Hi Mr Davies,

I have just managed to get hold of BUPA myself. They have confirmed that
they have approved treatment with Sorafenib and said that a letter would
come directly to yourself. The person I spoke to did give me a
pre-authorisation number of xxxxxx so we can go ahead and start treatment
without waiting for the written confirmation. I am on annual leave on
Monday but I have copied this email to Dr xxxx for information.

With kind regards,
xxx

Tuesday 20 January 2009

Obamas day

Yesterday i went to see the company's Doctor as i requested, in order to see when i can return to work. Some people think i' daft but i am working to something i enjoy and the esteem boost will work for me against the despondency of illness.

The Dr after a few minutes chat was energised as soon as she saw me referring to NLP and her whole demeanor changed. Here in front of her was someone wanting to fight, to heal, not be self indulgent and this encouraged her to give a better response. How many people do Dr's see every day that cloud their mind from their calling? How many times does it take to dull the knife's edge?


As it is she will only recommend me on home duties at a maximum 2 hours a day but it will be a start. Direction, discipline and honest endeavour will the call of the day. Each marathon starts with a small first step.

She did however suggest to me to investigate the Bristol Cancer centre which is not shy - like the Dove clinic - to blend alternative methods with modern medicine, something that many consultants simply dare not contemplate. I'll report soon on what i find out.

So i have had a few days up and a few days down. Friday and Sunday i was down, sick and depressed. Maybe my body is getting used to lower MST doses, figting off virus's or the Liver is playing up. As you can see the wound is almost healed, the second pic showing the slight over granulating that has taken place

Cookie, Q and their daughter Nyota sent me mail from Brisbane telling me The Aussie sun is very good for you if we ever need a holiday down here. Maybe one day but the dog would miss us but with the amount of contacts in Aus and NZ it can't be too long till we venture that way! I'll make the decision on LA March camp soon.

I guess i am in the camp that thinks Obama's inauguration will see a new US, and one that will hopefully lead to a better world. Whilst many may have other opinions, they should take pride in the strength of something that can have a non privileged person rise so high.


George W. Bush makes way for Obama. Unfortunately, we bid farewell to Bushisms:
1. "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."—Washington, D.C., Aug. 5, 2004
2. "I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family."—Greater Nashua, N.H., Chamber of Commerce, Jan. 27, 2000
3. "Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?"—Florence, S.C., Jan. 11, 2000
4. "Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB/GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across the country."—Poplar Bluff, Mo., Sept. 6, 2004
5. "Neither in French nor in English nor in Mexican."—declining to answer reporters' questions at the Summit of the Americas, Quebec City, Canada, April 21, 2001
6. "You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test.''—Townsend, Tenn., Feb. 21, 2001
7. "I'm the decider, and I decide what is best. And what's best is for Don Rumsfeld to remain as the secretary of defense."—Washington, D.C., April 18, 2006
8. "See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda."—Greece, N.Y., May 24, 2005
9. "I've heard he's been called Bush's poodle. He's bigger than that."—discussing former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, as quoted by the Sun newspaper, June 27, 2007
10. "And so, General, I want to thank you for your service. And I appreciate the fact that you really snatched defeat out of the jaws of those who are trying to defeat us in Iraq."—meeting with Army Gen. Ray Odierno, Washington, D.C., March 3, 2008
11. "We ought to make the pie higher."—South Carolina Republican debate, Feb. 15, 2000
12. "There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, fool me once, shame on—shame on you. Fool me—you can't get fooled again."—Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 17, 2002
13. "And there is distrust in Washington. I am surprised, frankly, at the amount of distrust that exists in this town. And I'm sorry it's the case, and I'll work hard to try to elevate it."—speaking on National Public Radio, Jan. 29, 2007
14. "We'll let our friends be the peacekeepers and the great country called America will be the pacemakers."—Houston, Sept. 6, 2000
15. "It's important for us to explain to our nation that life is important. It's not only life of babies, but it's life of children living in, you know, the dark dungeons of the Internet."—Arlington Heights, Ill., Oct. 24, 2000
16. "One of the great things about books is sometimes there are some fantastic pictures."—U.S. News & World Report, Jan. 3, 2000
17. "People say, 'How can I help on this war against terror? How can I fight evil?' You can do so by mentoring a child; by going into a shut-in's house and say I love you."—Washington, D.C., Sept. 19, 2002
18. "Well, I think if you say you're going to do something and don't do it, that's trustworthiness."—CNN online chat, Aug. 30, 2000
19. "I'm looking forward to a good night's sleep on the soil of a friend."—on the prospect of visiting Denmark, Washington, D.C., June 29, 2005
20. "I think it's really important for this great state of baseball to reach out to people of all walks of life to make sure that the sport is inclusive. The best way to do it is to convince little kids how to—the beauty of playing baseball."—Washington, D.C., Feb. 13, 2006
21. "Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream."—LaCrosse, Wis., Oct. 18, 2000
22. "You know, when I campaigned here in 2000, I said, I want to be a war president. No president wants to be a war president, but I am one."—Des Moines, Iowa, Oct. 26, 2006
23. "There's a huge trust. I see it all the time when people come up to me and say, 'I don't want you to let me down again.' "—Boston, Oct. 3, 2000
24. "They misunderestimated me."—Bentonville, Ark., Nov. 6, 2000
25. "I'll be long gone before some smart person ever figures out what happened inside this Oval Office."—Washington, D.C., May 12, 2008

Saturday 17 January 2009

Saturday

Yesterday i potted away in the bedroom, sleeping most of the day feeling very tired indeed. I had dropped my dosage and although i was ok when the nurse had been around, i weakened significantly. it's been a mild day but its turned cold now and the forecast is snow soon.

Still, today i'm OK, feeling a lot better and looking forward to the UFC from Dublin tonight.
Rich Franklin Vs. Dan Henderson - Franklin
Mark Coleman Vs. Mauricio Rua - Coleman pound and ground
Alan Belcher Vs. Denis Kang - Kang wont waste his opportunity
Jeremy Horn Vs. Rousimar Palhares - dont know, Horns experience over a heavy hitter.
Marcus Davis Vs. Chris Lytle - Davis but this could be a cracker of a stand up fight!

I managed to watch the Chelsea Stoke game on a feed and this hopefully will be the end of the barren spell recently experienced. Frank Lampard eventually slotting away the winner. Perceverence pays.
Reading a book on HCV and i suddenly can see the symptoms which it was all too easy to ignore. Go and get a check up! I could have stopped the cirrhosis that led to the tumor. It wont come back again after its gone.

Thursday 15 January 2009

Update- 15th

Not a lot to report except that i heard from BUPA that they received the information from the consultant. I await their decision. I looked back to the time taken to get this far and my first Doctor appointment - August 21st. Three months later i underwent surgery and here we are a month and a half on and still at the start line!

I was at work today to pick up tickets for a Company Dinner and Dance in a couple of weeks and got to see many people i havent seen and who never knew till I disapeared of my predicament. Some great responses that mean a lot and hopefully i'll be back soon. i do have to insist on people treating me with positivity though as it's almost against the grain to do so.

I'm going to offer my services at work as a volunteer listener to anyone who has difficulties/illness, whatever they are. I feel that the lessons learned from this exercise should be used to assist others.

I'm walking the dog, i then cycle for about an hour in front of the telly. I'm onto season 4 of the Sopranos! I have dropped my doseage of the MST by half, see how that goes.

So Chelsea made it past the slippery banana skin to get to the next round of the FA cup. They will face Ipswich, a town i know well and where i watched Bobby Robson's side in the late 70's. I recall travelling with the Ipswich guys to Stamford Bridge and nipping into the Shed as they trooped precariously to the open North Stand in whatturned out to be a high scoring thriller. I was at school in Ipswich and am in contact with only a couple of treasured friends.

Tuesday 13 January 2009

genotype 3

Great news!

The type of HCV i have is genotype 3 which is the easiest to cure! My viral load is below 1000 which also means great news in that i am not a danger to people.


Off to teach at the gym, with my new haircut!

JUST HEARD that the Dr and BUPA have been in touch. We await the outcome but there seems to be a snowball effect!


Bought SYMARIP deluxe edition and Scientist wins the world cup!

Monday 12 January 2009

Monday morning blues

With the interest generated through this blog, Bob Spour will be conducting an NLP lecture/workshop on the weekend 7/8th Feb 2009. On the Friday night he will conduct his explosive self protection session (£10) at 7-9pm. There will be Thai Boxing and Ultmate Self Protection on the Saturday afternoon/Sunday midday and an NLP workshop so watch out for details!

Ok, so it wasn't the fact that we lost but it's the fact that we got a real kicking. There is no papering over the cracks and Scolari obviously isn't the right man for the job and nor is there the sack loads of cash there to deal with it. It needs someone who can enforce an order to quality players out of sorts especially when you look at the quality of the players, however old some of them are becoming.the season isn't over but the proof is in the pudding and a team with a high scoring rate that suddenly can't hit the side of a barn is evidence that something is very wrong.

Nice of Ben to invite us round though.

Walked the Dog - tick

30 minutes on the cycle - tick
Changed dressing - tick

Filled in legal forms - tick

Right, its lunchtime.


this afternoon requires book keeping, dog walking, another session on the cycle

Madstock is back!!!

Now confirmed for 17th July 2008 at Victoria Park, London.

BBC sports host David Vine dies. An institution.

Sunday 11 January 2009

Blue Murder

Perry was round yesterday and we took the exercise bike up to the bedroom. I'd showered and changed my own dressing and then went down to the gym and took the Phase 1 class. Caz was going out all day as one of her friends was celebrating a birthday so Perr and i walked Kali, took the bike up and watched the telly before he left.

Today i've walked the dog and did a good thirty minutes on the bike whilst watching training DVDs in Petiki Tirsia and Tuhon Bill McGrath who will be in the UK in April.

Great news in the Observer today:
Tens of thousands of patients are set to receive expensive drugs currently banned on the NHS, following secret talks between the government and manufacturers.


Ben the Legend Randall (pictured above) is coming to pick me up to take me round to his to watch on his new plasma the game. Manchester Utd host Chelsea in a major clash. Scolari's Chels have been stuttering with media noise saying that all is not well. Utd have been stumbling as well which has left the bin dippers top of the league but i expect at the end of the day it will be a two horse race. For two whole seasons we have been 'not well behind the scenes' so god help everyone if all was well. I have just finished Mark Worrall's Blue Murder which was an entertaining read.

Picture here of Osgood scoring at Old Trafford in the 1970 cup replay at Old Trafford agains Leeds United (sorry Ben!).

At the Chelsea shed, born was a star
Scoring goals past Pat Jennings from near and from far

And Chelsea won, we all knew they would

And the star of that great team was Peter Osgood
Osgood,
Osgood, OSGOOD, OSGOOD

Born is the king of Stamford bridge

Osgood Osgood, OSGOOD OSGOOD
Born is the king of Stamford bridge

Friday 9 January 2009

Friday fish

the news Caz got yesterday tea time was wonderful for us both! She needed to have tests to see if she had contracted HCV off me and its a big negative. This is great news and a big worry off us, Caz as she isn't infected and me as i haven't caused her harm! It also means I'm unlikely to be virulent and so therefore getting rid of the disease is easier but also i can participate in certain activities safe in the knowledge that i am not a risk to their health.

Had a meeting today with work where I requested they make an appointment with their doctors to assess my fitness to return to work at the end of the month. Aberdeen is about to go into a real tough time with the oil price so low, so jobs are under threat. Whilst i don't see myself in that firing line, it would be good to get back to my career and that would enhance my healing.

I heard that one of the guys in the ward when i was in hospital, John Yule, passed over this morning. Whilst i feel the sadness for his family who will miss him, i hope they treasure that last Christmas together. I talked with John straight after he received the terminal notice and, whilst sad and afraid, he was relieved to know. He said it would be weeks which wouldhave taken him into mid december.

I sat down with him and told him the experience i had with my mum, where i had just two weeks notice and how we got through christmas together which i will aways be thankful for. I asked John to think about that, to see himself as lasting beyond christmas and giving his loved ones that lasting memory to treasure the rest of their lives. Whilst i dont know how much of that he took on board, knowing that he made Christmas gave me a big smile.

Right off to walk the dog and go past the shop to get some vegetables for tea.


Ewen McGregor was spotted on his vintage Triumph in LA. I like it and might look around for a wrecked Bonney in the future. This one is pictured with Pink on it but i don't want to buy 'style'.



The model below is similar to mine, which i cant wait to get back on. Will try and give it a polish once i can move it without hurting myself. I've been out there and started it up once a week and it starts up no problem. My school took me to watch Easy Rider which sold me years ago and the Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is one of life's must reads - at least the first chapter.




Live like a monk and be as healthy as the monks of Mount Athos!

Salad days: Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday

Breakfast Hard bread, tea
Lunch Pasta or rice,vegetables, olive oil
Dinner Lentils, fruit and salad, olive oil. Red wine
Monday, Wednesday and Friday no olive oil
Holidays and feast days Fish and seafood

Wonders of Athos

— Most of the monasteries on Athos run on “Byzantine time”, with the clock resetting at sunset

— Legend has it that women were banned because the monks became too frisky with shepherdesses

— Vatopedhiou, Prince Charles’ favoured retreat, claims to have saints’ bones, the whip used to scourge Christ, St Stephen’s ear, fragments of the True Cross, and the Virgin Mary’s chastity girdle

Thursday 8 January 2009

as if i have the time to waste

Now I am pissed off.
I was called earlier in the week, twice, to ask me to attend a 10.30 appointment with the Dr leading the tumor assault. We got there in plenty of time, and waited till after 12 before being seen. It was as if we were not expected and the consultant obviously had not prepared herself to see me. If people are busy I can be patient but it was only during the consultation did certain things come to light and one of those was that she didn't know i was coming in.

I was told that the first surgeon i saw, Mr Doom and Gloom, had written a letter to say he thought i was a prime example for a transplant. Not only do I recall his words at the time I first met him, but I think I wrote on this blog, that he immediately dismissed this as an option very early in the diagnosis. After the surgery when they had all inspected the liver whilst I had been out on the table bearing my insides to heaven, they sat around as a group and this was again discounted as an option.
So why then write a letter saying otherwise?

I am considering asking. I hesitate as it was indicated the letter was met with anger from the consultant.


The chemo is not chemo as such. It is a 'multi-targeted kinase inhibitor' drug and the consultant felt that if BUPA do not fund it (more on this in a second) that it is possible that it will get the go ahead as it has now done in England, although the Scottish NHS have not yet made that decision[link]. The decision in England is based on whether the drug will work on the patient over the cost of it and it is felt that the door is opening in Scotland.

Sorafenib is the drug of choice, with Doxorubicin as the alternative which is intravenously delivered chemotherapy. CT scan shows the tumor has grown to 7cm. Sorafenib is only available through BUPA funding.

So, on the 17th December i had a conversation with BUPA and gave them all the relevant details and contact numbers for the consultants secretary. I myself have phoned many times to leave messages and it can be days before anyone answers if they ever do. BUPA,
according to the consultant (who had asked me to come in but had left me waiting so long because she didnt know i was there!) had not been in contact and she gave me email details to give to BUPA. Some of the earlier indications like the length of treatment During this i could hear the BS siren going off.

BUPA answered the phone when i got back home and looked at their notes where they recorded, as these companies do, when they had left a message. So I asked BUPA what they needed , put this in an email and sent it off to the consultant with fax details to send the required information to BUPA so that they could agree to the treatment and we can get started. BUPA will inform me when there is contact.
She also was ignorant to a letter sent by the liver nurse. I have now put the two in contact with each other.

Hello Dr xxxx,
After this morning's appointment, i have contacted BUPA and spoken to a Mr x xxxx.

BUPA require a medical report which will include
- the condition
- treatment plan
- facility where treatment will take place
- details of drugs and doses


This could be faxed to 01xx xxxxx and you can contact Mr xxxx directly on 0xxx xxxxxx

My BUPA membership number is xx/xxxxx so they know who i am.

As requested the details of the Senior Hepatology Nurse is xxx xxxxxx - xx-4xxx

I look forward to hearing from you,

Yours sincerely

When i got home i had a visit from Steve, pictured here in the vest when Bob Spour awarded the Red Arm Bands (black belts) to some of my Thai guys. He's been doing his own thing recently so i hadn't seen him for a while but it was great to see him, even f he reminded me of Capt Haddock.

Tomorrow i have the HR manager at my work coming to see me. This cartoon seemed appropriate!

Wednesday 7 January 2009

scar tissue

The wound is healing up very nicely, the photos doesn't do it justice. The two red patches are likely to over-granulate which should cause a bump of scar tissue, but the infection has gone so it doesn't look like the last one i showed!

Whilst the UK is frozen, Aberdeen has been mild and its quite a nice day.

Whatever your opinions on the rights and wrongs in Gaza, there is a lot of PR and Spin going on. Journalists and not allowed in. BBC blog; gives a good write up on this. Some people say Truth is the first casualty of war. People are the first casualty of war.

The Theory of Intelligence
I don't think I've ever heard the concept explained any better than this.


'Well you see, Norm, it's like this . . . A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Now, as we know, excessive intake of alcohol kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. And that, Norm, is why you always feel smarter after a few beers.'

Tuesday 6 January 2009

wow!

went down and taught two classes!
yahoo!
first time since mid November and surgery! I'm shattered and all i did was dictate what was to be done, using others to demonstrate.
The first hour was Jun fan gung fu and the 2nd session was Edged Weapons.

I have a 10.30am appointment at the hospital on Thursday, so we'll find out what is happening then!

Sunday 4 January 2009

Self-Test

Breakfast: 3 carrots, 1 pear and a bit of ginger root. Juiced.

Phoned the hospital and waiting for a response. Maybe something will come in the mail. Also called the dentists but will need to speak with him first to make sure he is happy to work on me at the moment.

The nurse came round and changed the dressings. What a difference, the antibiotics have killed the infection that was causing the redness you saw on the pictures. Its almost healed with probably a fortnight to go! I am using the hibiscrub to wash my body daily (i yearn for a bath) to combat the MRSA.

Will need to get the bike in now.

Gerson therapy is the system used by naturopath Max Gerson in the 1920's which achieved incredible results.
Went to the gym which was busy and it was great to see people.

Acidity Self-Test

Introduction

Use this checklist to get a sense of how acidic you may be. Determining your acidity levels isn't an exact science, but this Self-Test can help you get a better idea of how urgently you need to begin alkalizing your body.

Directions: Make a mark next to any of the symptoms listed here, if you have them. Count the total number of symptoms in each category. The idea is this: the more symptoms, the more acidic you may be, and the more urgent it is for you to begin an alkalizing program.

Beginning Symptoms

  • Acne
  • Agitation
  • Muscular pain
  • Cold hands and feet
  • Dizziness
  • Low energy
  • Joint pains that travel
  • Food allergies
  • Chemical sensitivities to odor, gas heat
  • Hyperactivity
  • Panic attacks
  • Pre-menstrual and menstrual cramping
  • Pre-menstrual anxiety and depression
  • Lack of sex drive
  • Bloating
  • Heartburn
  • Diarrhea
  • Constipation
  • Hot urine
  • Strong smelling urine
  • Mild headaches
  • Rapid panting breath
  • Rapid heartbeat
  • Irregular heartbeat
  • White coated tongue
  • Hard to get up in morning
  • Excess head mucous (stuffiness)
  • Metallic taste in mouth

Intermediate Symptoms

  1. Cold sores (Herpes I & II)
  2. Depression
  3. Loss of memory
  4. Loss of concentration
  5. Migraine headaches
  6. Insomnia
  7. Disturbance in smell, taste, vision, hearing
  8. Asthma
  9. Bronchitis
  10. Hay fever
  11. Ear aches
  12. Hives
  13. Swelling
  14. Viral infections (colds, flu)
  15. Bacterial infections (staph, strep)
  16. Fungal infections (Candia albicans, athlete's foot, vaginal)
  17. Impotence
  18. Urethritis
  19. Cystitis
  20. Urinary infection
  21. Gastritis
  22. Colitis
  23. Excessive falling hair
  24. Psoriasis
  25. Endometriosis
  26. Stuttering
  27. Numbness and tingling
  28. Sinusitis

Advanced Symptoms

  1. Crohn's disease
  2. Schizophrenia
  3. Learning disabled
  4. Hodgkin's Disease
  5. Systemic Lupus Erythematosis
  6. Multiple Sclerosis
  7. Sarcoidosis
  8. Rheumatoid arthritis
  9. Myasthenia gravis
  10. Scleroderma
  11. Leukemia
  12. Tuberculosis
  13. All other forms of cancer

know where you are

You can't really figure out how to get where you want to be until you know where you are. Doesn't that make sense?

  • The tumor is a result of an imbalance in the liver - how did that happen?
  • Chemo will now deal with the tumor since surgery failed - what does it leave?
  • The liver will need to deal with the virus in it and regenerate - how to do that?
  • The way i live my life will have to adapt to my requirements- can this be achieved?

In this blog have dealt with all these questions but I feel that it is important to keep on top of them, keeping the focus but adapting them dynamically so that they remain relevant.

How did it happen?
I didn't know i had HCV and reading into it i now see that there could be many people like me with a ticking time bomb. A blood test can clear it up. It can be healed. Wasting time speculating how i got it would not serve any person and distracts my focus, looking for blame rather than channeling the focus to healing.

What does it leave?
The chemo will stop and reduce the tumor. Whilst the Doctor says there is a risk it may not totally go away i visualise it gone, as a friend that warned me that my liver was in danger. Then i am left with a liver in bad condition.

How to heal the liver?
We have looked at the liver and iscussed what an amazing organ it is. It can regenerate and if i use all the means available i will be able to return to a high standard of health. That will involve pharmaceutical drugs, alternative medicines, diet and focus.

Can this be achieved?
I WILL PERSIST IN WHATEVER I CHOOSE TO DO

Tomorrow i contact the hospital to find out the date for starting the chemo course. I also contact the HR dept to see about possible reintroduction in the workplace before the end of January. I am looking at flights for LA to train at the March Instructors camp. I am able to look forward because i know where i am.

SOD "Liberator" LIVE KFNYC 08

Friday 2 January 2009

timeless

spent the afternoon around at Dave Johnstone's, an old student and pal. Also present with their families were Derek the menace Latto and John Maitland. A great time with Kali enjoying the company of the children, however im tired now.

The trade in cat and dog fur across Europe has been outlawed following a nine-year campaign by a Scottish MEP. Hurrah!

i looked for diet information and this site came up: http://acidalkalinediet.com/

=== JKrishnamurti.org - Daily Quote ===

Truth is not of the past or of the present—it is timeless

There is no path to truth and there are not two truths. Truth is not of the past or of the present—it is timeless—and the man who quotes the truth of the Buddha, of Shankara, of the Christ, or who merely repeats what I am saying, will not find truth because repetition is not truth: repetition is a lie.

Truth is a state of being which arises when the mind—which seeks to divide, to be exclusive, which can only think in terms of results, of achievement—has come to an end. Only then will there be truth. The mind that is making effort, disciplining itself in order to achieve an end, cannot know truth because the end is its own projection and the pursuit of the projection, however noble, is a form of self-worship.…

He alone shall know truth who is not seeking, who is not striving, who is not trying to achieve a result.

Thursday 1 January 2009

TCM and alkalinity

Two people have talked to me about alkalinity and the way we eat affecting our health, energy levels and outlook. This is one perspective from Danny, is a naturopathic viewpoint and are guidelines only.

Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) does not look at disease the same way, Cancer doesn't exist. It's simply a name given to a set of symptoms and ignores the organic factors which underly it, an imbalance between yin and yang. In TCM we look at disease from patterns of hot and cold, deficiency and excess, wind and damp and use herbs accordingly. They are tailor made to the individual taking into account their uniqueness.

If you take an imaginary microscope down to cellular level where a group of cells make up a tissue and a group of tissues make up an organ, everything in the end comes down to the cell, what goes on inside and what goes on outside.

Since each of us has constitutional strengths and weaknesses, one organ system of the body the cells may be weaker than elsewhere and this is where we can have a problem. The other factor influencing cells is how we live and what we do and don't put into our bodies. How we think is also a major factor.

At a reductionist biochemical level, our cells operate at optimum when they are in an alkaline environment. Our blood, which caries nourishment to the cells, maintains a rigid pH balance of around 7.4 (very alkaline). Now when the diet is poor, when there is exposure to drugs or chemicals over the long term and when the thought pattern is negative this increases the acidity of the blood. If the pH of the blood dips below 7.4 this would result in death. The blood has no choice but to dump the acidity into the tissues and thus into an organ system.

What is acidity? When food is broken down into components at a mineral level we have alkaline minerals such as magnesium and calcium and acid minerals such as phosphorus and sulphur. The alkaline and acid minerals are like a set of scales that need balanced. Bear in mind also that human beings are acid by function as well. A good example of this is the build up of lactic acid during exercise.

If the body becomes over-acidified, it dumps the acid minerals into the organ system. The cell membrane is semi-permeable which means it allows nutrients into the cell for energy and allows waste products out of the cell to be excreted by the system. Inside the cell we have intercellular fluid and ouside the cell we have extracellular fluid. If the acidity is building up it will affect the pH of the extracellular fluid. The cell wall will then thicken as a reaction to this. Over time what happens is nutrients do not enter the cell and waste does not exit. The cell then becomes toxic and potentially malignant.

From research it has been shown that cancer cells cannot metastatise if the environment at an extracellular level is alkaline, therefore alkalinity is the key. We know from nutrition that certain foodstuffs are either alkaline or acid when broken down. We do need some acid minerals in our body, we just need to maintain the correct levels.

Fruit and vegetables are almost exclusively alkaline in nature therefore 80% of diet should come from these sources - fresh, local and preferably organic and prepared with a minimum of processing. Cooking depletes alkaline minerals such as magnesium. Light steaming of vegetables is best. Juicing vegetables is an excellent method for increasing alkalinity. All meat and dairy products are acid-forming, but goat derivatives are better than cow.

Fish and white meats are better than the others and it's best to prepare them in very small pieces and in conjunction with vegetables. Flesh foods have other problems such as uric acid, cholesterol, heavy metals, saturated fats etc but at this juncture suffice to say limit their intake.

Protein is widely available in much more assimilable forms throughout the vegetable kingdom - beans, lentils, leafy greens, nuts and especially seeds like pumpkin which contains all 8 essential amino acids.

Other acidic forming foods include alcohol, caffeine, recreational and over the counter drugs. 80/20 alkaline/acid foods is about right. In my case it would be an idea to tip further into the alkalinity and flood your tissues.

Use sprouted seeds and nuts. As an example a handful of sprouted brocolli seeds has the nutritional equivalent of 6 heads of Calabrese Broccoli! Finally water - 2.5 litres filtered (reverse osmosis or distilled water is best) is essential for ALL bodily functions at optimum levels.

Supplementation: Short term use of supplements derived from natural products is useful but it needs to be individualised. In your case hepato-function would be primary (actually it is in all cases but especially so for you). Milk thistle is a good herb but will work far better in conjunction with other herbs (Taraxacum officinalis radix - Dandelion root (not leaf) and Cyanara (Artichoke leaf). The three herbs are hepato-protective and will also encourage regeneration at cellular levels. It is vital that proper supplies of protein are used as the amino acids are important in cellular construction. Arginine, carnatine, glutamine etc are all important so use quality protein sources such as soya bean and pumpkin seed even if you are eating meat too. For general health a multi mineral/vitamin complex would be useful especially if you plan to undergo chemotherapy.

Chemo carries its own risks - along with killing off cancer cells it can also wipe out the immune system. hence the use of the multi and high dose vitamin C - 3 grams plus. I'd also suggest probiotics to re-establish the bacterial balance in the bowel. There is only one herb to deal with the nausea of chemo and that unfortunately is illegal - herbal cannabis (not hash nor skunk) is of great benefit.

Alan Baker from Atlanta contacted me to see if i was interested in some info on Alkalizing Diets. He has been doing this for a while and it has really been beneficial to me. This is a good site for info on it..http://www.phmiracleliving.com/
He use a lot of the recipes from their cook books and uses one of the alkaline water filters. He does A LOT of juicing which is one of the best thinks I have ever done to better my health. Usually I juice every morning and try to only have juice up to lunch, this keeps my internal energy levels high and free to cleanse of heal the body (the body's natural cleansing cycle is from 4 am to 12 the next day). A good book on this is....http://www.amazon.com/Fit-Life-Harvey-Diamond/dp/0446300152,. He also does a cleanse/Fast 4 times a year to get toxins out of the body.

Two different sources pointing the same direction.
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