Notes from Bob Cummings – Page 9 – Christian Science Committee on Publication for Michigan

Watching what we’re watching for health’s sake

By Bob CummingsDecember 21, 20122 commentsHealth, Notes from Bob CummingsFred Rogers, health, Jesus, Mary Baker Eddy, mental health, Mister Rogers, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, Newtown, PTSD, Smita Nagpal, spirituality, St Paul, stress, tragedy

(Photo: © Glow Images, Models are used for illustrative purposes.)

The recent tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut pulls at the heartstrings of all of us. We long to know that everyone involved will soon find some measure of comfort and peace.

As we search for answers to why the tragedy unfolded in the first place and to how to help children who are suffering trauma recover, many have offered helpful ideas. One idea struck me as not only of benefit in dealing with trauma but also useful for preventing the illnesses that can accompany stress and emotional duress.

In a recent opinion piece¹ in Heritage-Media West newspapers, Smita Nagpal, a licensed psychologist and licensed professional counselor, advised, “Limit exposure to TV images and news coverage. The graphic images and repetitive scenes can be disturbing for children.” “Talk honestly about the incident, without graphic detail…”

Need an emancipation proclamation for your health?

By Bob CummingsNovember 16, 20121 commentHealth, Notes from Bob Cummings1856, Abraham Lincoln, chapped lips, Emancipation Proclamation, freedom, health, healthcare, Kalamazoo, Lincoln, Mary Baker Eddy, mental slavery, Michigan, prayer, Science and Health, slavery, spirituality

Do you sometimes feel like a slave to disease? Or to its treatment? Or know someone who does? How do chapped lips, Abraham Lincoln’s visit to Kalamazoo, Michigan, and a case of poison ivy shed light on needed emancipation? Abraham Lincoln made only one visit to Michigan – to Kalamazoo in 1856. Why did he

ESCAPE FIRE: Healthcare transformation need not be feared

By Bob CummingsOctober 4, 20121 commentHealth, Notes from Bob Cummingsalternative treatments, CAM, ESCAPE FIRE, fear, health care, healthcare, ideas, open minded, prayer, spirituality

Photo: © Stock photos/Glowimages.com (120-Q46355)

“There’s a different way of doing things that’s possible” according to the trailer for a thought-provoking movie by Matthew Heineman and Susan Froemke entitled “ESCAPE FIRE: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare” that opens Friday, October 5. Our current system resists needed changes, perhaps fearing change, but the new ideas and alternative treatments, including spiritual ones, that will help rescue American healthcare can be considered and utilized without fear.

According to the movie’s website, “ESCAPE FIRE examines the powerful forces maintaining the status quo, a medical industry designed for quick fixes rather than prevention, for profit-driven care rather than patient-driven care.”

The inspiration for the title of the movie comes from an incident in Mann Gulch, Montana where a forest fire trapped a group of firefighters. Their foreman, Wag Dodge, intentionally lit a fire in front of him and then stepped into the newly burnt area. The fire went around that area since it was already burned. His crew couldn’t accept his unusual approach and went on ahead and, tragically, most of them were killed. Wag Dodge survived.

It seems that one of the big challenges lies in overcoming the fear of something new, something a little different than what we’re used to.

Albert Einstein reassures us with his perspective: “Creating a new theory is not like destroying an old barn and erecting a skyscraper in its place. It is rather like climbing a mountain, gaining new and wider views, discovering unexpected connections between our starting points and its rich environment. But the point from which we started out still exists and can be seen, although it appears smaller and forms a tiny part of our broad view gained by the mastery of the obstacles on our adventurous way up.”¹

Is fewer patients with more care a better health care model?

By Bob CummingsSeptember 30, 2012Health, Notes from Bob CummingsChrist, Dr. Rob Lamberts, health care, healthcare, lamberts, loving care, medications, minimalism, patient centered care, personal connection, prayer, primary care, Psycholoy Today, quality care, Russ Gerber

Why would a doctor limit the number of patients in his practice to 1,000 rather than 4,000? Dr. Rob Lamberts offers a different model where he takes fewer patients so he can provide them with more care. Lamberts prefers to live his faith rather than talk it: “I’d rather people see Christ in me than

IN THE NEWS Placebos, Nocebos and a Possible Solution

By Bob CummingsAugust 30, 2012Health, Notes from Bob Cummingshealth, nocebo, placebo, side effects, spirituality

The nocebo effect causes a dilemma: ethically sharing possible side effects of drugs with patients may cause patients to experience them.

Here, below, are excerpts with links to some interesting articles in the news this month about placebos and nocebos – the last one offering an interesting solution to the nocebo effect.

IN THE NEWS Prayer and love heal a wounded butterfly

By Bob CummingsAugust 21, 2012Health, Notes from Bob Cummingsbutterfly, Healing, health, love, Phil Mikan, prayer

“Let’s see if I can help him with a jolt of energy, a thought of love and perhaps a prayer.” writes Phil Mikan in the New Britain Herald in Connecticut last Sunday. This is what he thought when he came across a wounded butterfly. It’s interesting to me that he had been researching “the energy

Giving mental consent to excellence breaks barriers

By Bob CummingsJuly 31, 2012Health, Notes from Bob Cummings400 Freestyle, athletes, cyclists, excel, Faster Higher Stronger, Freestyle, health, mental consent, Olympic motto, Olympics, performance, prayer, spirituality, swimming, thought

The Olympic motto – “Faster, Higher, Stronger” – is about exceeding limits. An experience in competitive swimming when I was in school gave me a glimpse of what researchers are finding in their studies – that giving mental consent has a huge impact on athletic performance. In my case, the difference was almost unimaginable.

Health Care and Healthy Habits of the Mind

By Bob CummingsJuly 19, 2012Health, Notes from Bob Cummingshealth, health care, healthcare, meditation, mindfulness, prayer, prayer for self, stress

Yours truly at the U.S. Capitol on a rainy day

“We don’t need to move to the left or to the right. We all need to go a little deeper.”

This from Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan according to a recent Washington Times article¹ by Patrick Hruby about Mr. Ryan’s interest in a form of meditation called mindfulness. Ryan has found it so helpful that he said, “This needs to be in the schools. And the health care system.”

There’s a lot of talk these days in the U.S. about health care, health care costs, and what role the government should play. Mr. Ryan’s interest in mindfulness seems focused more on health itself.

According to Hruby, research suggests that mindfulness helps with such problems as chronic pain, inflammation, high blood pressure, and stress. He quotes Mr. Davidson, director of the University of Wisconsin’s Lab for Affective Neuroscience, who said, “There’s a huge amount of suffering that can be prevented with healthy habits of the mind.”

Do you need to get above life’s storms?

By Bob CummingsJuly 3, 20121 commentHealth, Notes from Bob Cummingsaltitudes, clouds, freedom, health, prayer, spiritual vision, spirituality, Tropical Storm Debby

Tropical Storm Debby over Florida (Photo from flickr.com courtesy of NASA Goddard Photo and Video under Creative Commons license)

Did you know that you can and that a spiritual perspective – spiritual vision – is the ticket?

Last week while enroute to a meeting in Miami I flew over Tropical Storm Debby. The pilot pointed out to us the blue spot at the center of the large area of circular clouds indicating that this was the eye of the storm. I was struck by how bright, sunny, and peaceful it was above the clouds. It was a little hard picturing all the wind and rain going on beneath those same clouds.

It’s peaceful in the eye of a storm. So, what if we were always in the eye? Above a storm the weather is sunny and clear. So, what if we could always get above life’s storm clouds?

“Spiritual vision is not subordinate to geometric altitudes“¹ writes Mary Baker Eddy.

Walking a Tightrope With a 40 Pound Bar and Prayer

By Bob CummingsJune 18, 2012Health, Notes from Bob CummingsBlondin, fear, fear of heights, love, Niagra Falls, prayer, praying, spirituality, Wallenda

Could YOU walk on a wire across Niagara Falls? Nik Wallenda made it look pretty easy. He was so calm and looked to be always in control. In interviews with Wallenda on TV I heard two elements of a spiritual practice that helped him achieve this remarkable feat: praying and monitoring thought.

Royal Gorge in Colorado, the deepest in the U.S. (courtesy of flickr user David Watson)

The closest I’ve come to this feat was probably when I walked across a wooden footbridge over the Royal Gorge in Colorado years ago. The bridge is suspended with large steel cables and it is wide enough for a car to drive over. So, this clearly was not in the same league as Wallenda’s amazing feat at Niagara Falls. But it was my own tightrope experience because I had long been afraid of heights.

That weekend, I had been praying and feeling close to God. I overcame my fear of heights, and with slow, deliberate footsteps walked across to the other side.

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