Fear, Anxiety & Mental Health – Staying Sane In A Haywire World

September 10, 2022  | Valerie Hayes  | Health & Wellness, My Story, Thoughts & Ideas, Valerie Hayes, View All Articles & Photos

Sanity is not really well defined, and probably should be defined more by a person’s functionality and purpose, as opposed to whether or not they have had to overcome depression, addiction, trauma, rejection, slander, fear and anxiety.

Some of the most insane people are in positions of leadership, yet because they function at a certain executive level, they can still manage to have power over people. It is temporary though, because power in itself is temporary. Governments change, fascist leaders eventually fail or die, and public sentiment adjusts when people have had enough.

We live in a rather fluid world, where even the most controlling and manipulative authoritarian cannot predict the outcomes. We just have to remember that control is all about predicting outcomes. Since they cannot anticipate all the results, they also cannot manage total control of the population.

We have to maintain self-control first and foremost. We can still voice an opinion. We are still in control of our own thoughts, and the reaction we have to external factors. We can make assessments, and adapt to those external factors without going insane. Our worldview may differ from others, and may not go with the flow – but we all know these can be good traits, not necessarily bad or insane traits.

The automatic reaction to fear, is higher levels of anxiety and escapism. Fear turned inward is likely to result in depression and anxiety, and when externalized, it is likely to cause anger. We are innately driven and protected due to surges of adrenalin. It gives us the fight or flight instinct to get us out of harms way.

However, constant high levels of adrenalin, leads to chronic health conditions. Surges of adrenalin are meant to be a temporary, not a chronic solution, or source of energy. Some people actually draw a large percentage of their energy from adrenalin. It leads to a roller coaster of up and downs, followed by burn-out.

For those who are inspired by surges in adrenalin, whether it is bungee jumping, race car driving, or gravitating to high adrenalin occupations, there still needs to be a method of bringing the adrenalin under control. Short bursts of adrenalin are less damaging than the chronic adrenalin infusion that comes through stress and worry.

What happens if fear is chronic and pervasive? It raises adrenalin and cortisol levels as we hover in a state of anxiety or anger. We also carry the family of origin trauma, rejection, addiction, deception, poverty, family breakdown – or whatever things contribute to the cycle of fear.

If we continue in a state of chronic fear and stress, we probably will get sick. This manifests not only in mental health issues, but also cardiac, blood pressure, autoimmune disorders and cancer, to name a few.

I think the greatest tangible fears for most of us revolve around personal safety, health, and financial security. When faced with uncertainty, humility, failures, fears, and our own shortcomings – the natural inclination is some kind of escapism.

Escapism comes in many shapes and forms. The most common one is drug and alcohol addiction. There is much stigmatization that stems from addiction, mostly because we only see the deeper downside of addiction. Homelessness, huge slums, property crime, violence, overdoses, and death are the outcomes of severe addiction.

Yet how many people are truly drug free? We have no idea. There is a huge difference between those who drink a glass of wine daily, or use a small amount of low dose cannabis, in comparison to pathological drinking, and unbridled drug use.

On one side of the coin, drug and alcohol use will not likely lead to intoxication, or the inability to function, in otherwise stable individuals. The other side is blotto – or a desire to blot out our own existence, thinking it is a temporary state, but for so many, the blotto state leads to a loss of life.

Alcohol is more dangerous than cannabis, in that it can be highly addictive, and significantly impairs judgment. For some people, the impairment of judgement happens rapidly, depending on the predisposition of the person. In other cases, the addiction to alcohol is more insidious. Although some of us are more predisposed to addiction, no one is immune, regardless of intelligence or socioeconomic status.

The most dangerous prescription medications can also be subtle at first, and can cause severe CNS symptoms and dependency over time. Benzodiazepines, SSRI’s, sleeping pills, psychotropic medications, and even statins can have a severe impact on our psyche, mental health and memory.

Other maladaptive forms of escapism include severe depression, mania and psychosis. Does this happen due to chemical imbalances in the brain? In some ways – maybe so. Drugs and alcohol do affect the neurochemistry of the brain. So does food, food additives, chronic stress, sugar and sleep.

Just as few adults manage to be totally free of drugs and alcohol, we are also not free of food additives and sugar, so we have to pay attention to these things to help us stay “with it” so to speak.

We might notice the dramatic increase of street people, many who are severely addicted to the point they cannot function or take care of themselves. But there is a plethora of other people who are not on the street, who cope by self-medicating.

First or all, conflict or a breakdown in relationships does not mean a person is mentally ill. In fact, as we go through life, a certain amount of conflict is unavoidable. All we can do, is make the grievance known, explain why it is a problem, or a lie or whatever, and find ways to protect ourselves.

The best way to protect ourselves, is to find ways to be well-balanced, at peace, and maintain a sound mind. We can do this by avoiding chemicals in our diet and the barrage of pharmaceuticals that are advertised daily through the various media outlets.

It is crucial to make critical thinking and intuition a vital part of both our external and internal assessments based on the information, or physical signals we are receiving. By doing so, we are not permitting our minds, or central nervous systems to be impacted in unknown ways by chemicals, or the fear that is introduced into our daily living.

In my opinion, we have to treat ourselves in an holistic manner with diet, exercise and relaxation techniques that work for us. A diet rich in plants, whole foods, and micronutrients takes longer to prepare, but it is well worth it as this is what contributes to gut health. The secondary components of a healthy gut extends to all organs of the body, especially the brain. This is how serotonin, melatonin, and dopamine is increased and regulated naturally within our systems.

The other helpful tip is to filter all things we read or watch in the news, and discard the sensationalism. We do live in perilous times. It is not a matter of sticking our heads in the sand. But at the same time we must realize the media is trying to shape our beliefs, so our reactions can be anticipated, and thus controlled.

The other factor to consider is how much competition is out there when it comes to social media influencers, political influencers, talking points, and the macabre interest we tend to have when it comes to violent crime. We can learn from it, and decide how we want to process it. We might get a can of bear spray in case someone breaks into our home to attack us. Or we might see the violent crime as distant from our own lives, and not something likely to impact us. Either way, it is a good idea to do what we can, and leave the rest to fate.

Remember the competition is fierce for our attention. It is human nature to be attracted to sensationalism, therefore those who are publishing, learn very quickly to add hyperbole to every publication. They add the drama, without even witnessing what they claim is happening. It is tough to see street level changes, and dangers, if you live in an ivory tower, and are insulated from reality.

We see a massive amount of sensationalism and fear mongering in mainstream media, but it is also just as ubiquitous in alternative media. Take Jordan Peterson as an example. Some of his talks are meaningful, or fairly truthful, yet most are full of sensationalism, hyperbole, and dire warnings of what is to come. How does he know the future? If he is a psychologist, it means he might know more about the state of a diseased mind. But how does he know everything about everything, from the law of attraction, to climate change and politics, and even the Bible?

Clearly he does not know everything. Oftentimes, I have viewed his wide variety of public lecture topics, and youtube titles, as being overly dramatic methods of getting attention. It certainly has gained him recognition, fame and money, so if that’s the main objective, he is a success. But is the information valid? Look at his history, and decide for yourself.

If we maintain self control, eat a healthy balanced diet, get exercise, take care of our sleep, reduce and manage chemicals introduced into our bodies, and find ways to relax and let go of fear – we can overcome tumultuous times. We already know that Jordan Peterson has not managed all of these things with aplomb and finesse. So once again, we are wise to use a filter on all things we ingest, to include the advice from experts.

No one has a perfect life free of anxiety. We spend more time worrying about the “what ifs” than anything else. Yes we could get attacked, get into an accident, have a stroke, face breakdown in relationships, and many other calamities. But when faced with the fear, ask yourself how valid it is. The other question is what can we do about it? Since we cannot control what other people think and do, we cannot base our mental health on the actions of other people.

If someone else is delusional or lying, it is their problem, not ours. We can only deal with our own mental health, not theirs (unfortunately). Lies do become entrenched over time, and tend to cause more damage as time goes by. But we cannot stop other people from lying, so we are best not to let it affect us, or at least minimize it.

Because of all the deception, we live in an era of mistrust and divisiveness. It is not abnormal to mistrust those who are being deceptive. But it is abnormal to mistrust everyone from the postal worker to the clerk at the dollar store. We have to develop a healthy method of assessment and discernment.

For instance, not that long ago, as I was walking down the street, I turned a corner and saw a man with a large knife who was carving or stripping the bark off a large tree branch to make a club. I literally had to walk right past him. But I could see that he was focused on what he was doing, and did not seem to be paying much attention to me. So I took a deep breath, and walked right by him, within a few feet of the obvious danger.

One thing I have noticed as an urban walker, is that many more people out there are carrying weapons. It is now a fact of life. It has only been in the past year or so that the bark stripped clubs are being carried openly. I have also witnessed near misses in knife attacks on the street.

Not long ago, a person was out walking down the street wearing a full length black wool coat in 32 degree afternoon heat, with a large hood up, dark glasses, and a large black mask. He was also carrying a double pronged pick-axe, and looked like a dead ringer for the grim reaper movie character. Why on earth a person would walk around like that is beyond comprehension. No wonder the police are so busy.

I could go on and on about all the things I have witnessed, just in the past three years. How do we know if it is safe to walk past someone who is screaming and cursing at the sky, or dressed like the grim reaper? Who is the rage and threat being directed at? It is truly becoming a jungle out there.

There are times to turn around, change your route, and/or immediately cross the street. Even so – we have to live our lives without being overcome by fear, and without letting the crazy behaviours take over normal life. The streets should not be given over to insanity, no more than we should allow our own minds to succumb to insanity. Courage is not easy to come by. I am a coward by nature, so courage and faith, is something I really have to work on.

We have to develop an intuitive sense of danger, without becoming totally paranoid. I believe that the more normal people who are out there, doing routine daily activities and errands, and the more urban walkers who venture out for exercise, the more likely we are to maintain a semblance of normalcy, in spite of the increased drug use and crime. Teenagers are still walking to school. Young moms are still out on the street pushing baby strollers. People still walk their dogs, and seniors still go out to buy groceries. These things are all a comfort to see, because they help maintain our perspective of stability and normalcy.

In all things, we need to be watchful, vigilant, and trust our intuitions. The same thing goes for our health. If we are not using any strong drugs to mask the symptoms, we will notice if we are getting sick. Whether it is inflammation, a sore throat, or a stress induced fear reaction, we need techniques to alleviate, rather than exacerbate those early symptoms.

Ah ha! It all boils down to a cup of chamomile tea! If only we could solve the problem with one thing, but we can’t. We have to incorporate peace of mind, and a method of returning to the peace of mind as quickly as possible once it is disrupted. We have to separate the wheat from the chaff, as well as discern whether or not the disruption poses a real existential threat.

The other thing to add to the lucidity curve is ongoing learning. If we keep learning, we are creating our own avenues for edification and clarity, by keeping an active mind. If we read lots, master difficult tasks, memorize passwords and login information, filter media information, research various subjects, and study history – we can continue to expand our horizons, even if we are limited in where we can go physically.

We each have our own individual life to lead, following a lineage, historical pathway, and destiny. It is all based on our seed, and whether it falls on good soil or rocky soil. It depends on nutrients and cultivation. Our destiny is tied to how much we can grow and flourish in a variety of conditions.

In my opinion, we should never give up and throw in the towel, regardless of how humble, fearful, or vulnerable we feel at times. Other human beings do not control our destiny, which is a good thing. Only our faith and beliefs control our ultimate destiny.

We can fall down in a multitude of ways throughout our lives, and still manage to get up and keep going. This is what makes people tough, as opposed to those who carry weapons and make threats. Meekness is far better to resort to than aggression. It lets us pass by, without attracting so much negative attention.

I suppose, there is a time to avoid conflict, and a time when we must face it square on. It’s good to know the difference, and how we might handle it in advance, so we are prepared. Sometimes we have to stand firm. Our very lives might depend on it.

We need a type of conflict checklist, so we can deal with it more effectively, and move on. It is also a way to help establish boundaries, and define what decisions are ours to make. It separates the things we are in control of from those things we have no control over. Once established, we are in a better position to stand firm. There comes a point where we do have to stand up for ourselves.

A certain level of servitude, especially when combined with oppression, will turn us into a doormat. So it must be true that respect is earned. Yet if we abhor dominance, ruthlessness, violence, and expensive legal conflicts – what does it leave us with?

Words. Just words, and thankfully words do have meaning. We have to stand up for the truth, especially concerning who we are, and where we came from. Our ancestry is tied to our future, not only for us, but for our children and future generations. We cannot accept or live a lie about the family we were born into. No one should be forced to deny their own family of origin. It is a deplorable conflict that no person should ever have to endure.

Chronic conflict creates chronic stress, which we do not need. If it is chronic, even our enemies don’t need more of it. If the person(s) pushing and manipulating the conflict have more power, and will not give it up – what can be done? Lies cannot prevail. They get many warnings, so patience is the only option. The escape from conflict means to seek peace, which is a relief.

Life is short, and living a good life is even shorter, because it takes us a long time to figure things out. Perhaps the greatest adumbration, is in living our entire lives in fear of dying. For what else do we fear most? Torture? Loss of function so we end up like vegetables, wearing diapers – with burnt out, miserable caregivers working on autopilot. Are we doomed to being drugged and warehoused in a facility somewhere? Financial failure and abject poverty drives some people to despair. Truthfully, our health is most important of all, to include our mental health.

Yes it is true. Some things are worse than death. Anyway, overcoming death is not our call. We have to live life, so death loses its power over us. Only then do we ask ourselves – why have so much fear of dying?

We must keep in mind that even the rich and the elite fear death. They too, can end up with a loss of physical or cognitive function. They may not face poverty in material things, but they might face a poverty of the soul. They also might have billions of dollars, yet still not feel secure or safe – or even happy.

Perhaps that is the greatest illusion of all. Humility does not abide in arrogance. But all arrogance will eventually face humility.

Therefore, in spite of the apparent anticlimax, humility of heart – can become a fearless friend.

We are best to change the notion of getting by on a lick and a promise ~ to having faith in a prayer and a promise. We don’t have to lick, we can kick the bad behind (us)!

Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West (2022). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Things That Make Nurses Look Unprofessional On Social Media

August 31, 2022  | Valerie Hayes  | Health & Wellness, My Story, Thoughts & Ideas, Valerie Hayes, View All Articles & Photos

Social media has a range of personalities and topics, and of course people can present themselves as they wish, or as they are – so to speak. But if a person is representing an entire profession, he/she should know that if they come across in an unprofessional or tacky manner, they are not doing themselves, or their profession any favours. Body language speaks volumes, sometimes more than what is actually said.

I have a background working as an RN, and thankfully, am out of the profession, and no longer maintain a membership, or an active license. Whew! Therefore I make these observations from a dispassionate distance. It is nothing personal.

Social media is online publishing, just as layout and design is publishing on a website, or in a magazine. Most of us are amateurs, but we can follow some basic guidelines, to help with appearances, and improve our credibility.

First of all, any nurse who is honest, and wants to sincerely speak out as a patient or nurse advocate, will be censored. If they are not being censored, you pretty much know they are parroting the government narrative, even though they might pretend to be onside with the nurses.

Even so, nurses are understandably looking for advice and support during troubling times. So what things (in my opinion) make a nurse appear unprofessional on social media?

Body language and appearance. Most image experts will tell professionals to dress appropriately, professionally,  and consistently. A person who is self publishing wearing a sports bra one day, a T-shirt the next day, and business attire the following day – does not give a consistent or professional first impression.

Even if she is off duty and filming herself from home – if she is representing the profession, it is tacky to be wearing nothing but a sports bra to give an online presentation for all the world to see.

As far as dress code is concerned, if there is one thing I believe should be banned for all those giving direct care is gel nails, long nails, and nail polish. Gel nails cultivate bacteria in ways ordinary nails do not. They were traced back and identified as the cause of an infectious outbreak in a neonatal intensive care unit that led to thirty-six baby deaths.

Gel nails, chipped nail polish, and very long nails, cannot be properly cleaned between patients, and are likely to pierce through the end of latex gloves. Plus when you see a person with perfect long gel nails, you really wonder how they can care for patients without worrying about damaging their perfect nails.

The same thing applies to people giving cooking demonstrations. When you see the long nails with stars and little rhinestones on them, mixing up a recipe of raw hamburger with their hands, it is cringe-worthy from a health perspective.

If the camera is too close to the person’s face, so there is no white space, or background showing at all, it gives an “in your face” impression. Close-ups can also make a person look harsh and overbearing. Also, a person should be checking whatever is in the background, because people will notice the background too.

If the topics are not researched and presented well – it shows. A person who is talking about defending the entire profession of nursing is probably biting off more than she can chew.

If she gives a full episode on how she likes to wear her hair at work, it is seriously dumbing down the profession. Does she really believe anyone cares about her long hair, and how she manages her work day hair do? Nurses with long hair, pin it up. Nothing has changed in that regard in a hundred years.

If a person is not really a nurse, and yet uses the title on social media to pose as a nurse, it quickly becomes obvious that she has no clue about the profession. She could be subjecting herself to legal challenges from the College of Nurses in whatever jurisdiction she lives in. Most Colleges have a statute that restricts people from using the title nurse without proper qualifications.

Witch hunts and gossip about other nurses on a public forum, comes across as unprofessional. If a nurse is acting in the role of a whistleblower, she must only speak about things she has been a direct witness to – not gossip and heresy. She should be willing to give her full testimony in court, or in front of the College, if her concerns or observations are legitimate.

A nurse who gives opinions on health care topics published in the media, especially in cases where nurses are charged with crimes, she is simply giving an opinion. It has no more merit than any other personal opinion. No one has the right right to exacerbate the circumstances a nurse might find herself in, or circumvent due process.

If the nurse is asking for money to further a cause, delve into what she is offering in return. You might be wasting your money.

Beware of what we used to call “graditis”. It is a term nurses use to basically roll their eyes at those who are self-righteous, and full of pride over their own nurse status and accomplishments. They are often nowhere near as experienced and brilliant as they seem to think they are.

Foul language. Again, people can use whatever language they choose, but should be aware that if they are representing a profession, foul language reflects not only on them, but also on the profession as a whole.

It is one thing to stop and chat with a co-worker and swear about some frustrating situation. But if you are publishing something online, swearing and using foul language, is something you will “wear’ forever. Just like the sports bra and sexy nurse image, is something that won’t go away once it is published and shared a few thousand times.

Dumbing down. All of the above, have a tendency to dumb down a profession that is not full of dumb nurses, but has its fair share. Like all professions, nursing has a wide range of personality types and levels of intellect, honesty, and competency.

Not all nurses are sweet and caring. Some are mean-spirited and narcissistic. Some are very intelligent, and others are barely capable of tying their shoes. Some are lazy, and will put more effort into avoiding work than actually doing it.

There is no one size fits all in the profession. Since caregiving is becoming an increasingly valuable commodity, I think it is quite possible unions will become a thing of the past, and nurses will negotiate their own contracts based on their credentials, intelligence, and track record.

Hopefully that might help to separate the wheat from the chaff. But the way things are going – who knows? In the meantime, use good discernment, and judgement on social media.

Health care seems to have turned into a real jungle. Social media is not much better. You never know what might come back to bite you in the butt. Remember the old adage – CYA.

I do realize my website could use improvements too. No doubt many would call it old-fashioned. But at least a picture of a hat, is not going to kill anyone. C’est la vie!

opyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West (2022). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Should Nurses Who Make Medication Errors Be Charged With Homicide?

August 30, 2022  | Valerie Hayes  | Health & Wellness, My Story, Thoughts & Ideas, Valerie Hayes, View All Articles & Photos

This appears to be an emerging trend in health care. Recent cases involving serious medication errors, led to charges of homicide. This is definitely a deterrent as far as attracting people to an already over-burdened health care system.

This post describes some general thoughts based on what I have read about these cases, and is just opinion, not related to anything other than my own experiences and observations over the years.

Most experienced nurses know that anyone can make a mistake. There are many contributing factors to the medical errors made in hospitals and various facilities. A huge part of it is trying to keep up with an unreasonable work load. This causes people to take multiple short cuts, including not taking the time to double check or look something up.

There are understandable mistakes, and there are mistakes that leave you wondering how on earth something like that could happen. For example, in an emergency situation, a person might answer an emergency call bell, and start an IV, using a bag of IV fluid that is hanging on an IV pole beside the patient.

The nurse may have been called to help in a dire emergency, and started the IV without realizing an anesthetic drug had been added to the bag. The bag may have been set up by an anesthetist, in anticipation of needing to intubate. Then he/she gets distracted, and leaves the IV pole and bag hanging beside the patient. This means it is a compounded error, not simply the fault of the nurse. We already know who is most likely to get the brunt of the blame though.

In such a case, the nurse who ran into the room and started the IV, may not have seen or read the label. Or the label may be scrawled, and she assumed it was something else. It is very common to add the drug Syntocinon to a bag of IV fluid for obstetrical emergencies, specifically postpartum bleeds. In fact, it would be an assumption since it is the most commonly used drug post delivery.

The nurse’s error would be to have assumed what was in the bag, without double checking. It is because it is what you would expect to be in the bag in that situation. She may have been called into similar situations in the past, and started the IV, when the drug she expected to be in the bag, was in the bag, and all was well. If it was not clearly labelled, and just had a big S and a scrawl using a black felt pen, the nurse could inadvertently give a bolus of an anesthetic drug to a maternity patient who is not only bleeding profusely, but is also not intubated. Once the drug is given, the patient is fully aware, but cannot breathe.

Another potential for errors, is in doing IV drug calculations. Although nurses do not have to do as many drug calculations as we did in the past, drug calculations are rife with errors. Some people cannot do simple math. It was not uncommon for certain nurses to miss a zero, and end up giving ten times the dose. In other cases, when you heard about or evaluated some of the errors made, you could not even figure out how they made such a colossal error in calculation. This is especially dangerous with neonates and infants.

I also think it is too much to expect a staff nurse to teach, mentor, or orient students, unless she is a qualified instructor, who is given the time it takes to watch over, and explain things to the newcomers. Mistakes are often made because the nurse is struggling to keep up with her own tasks, and may find a student, or the expectation to do staff orientations, to be an added stress and distraction.

Some nurses thrive on teaching, and others do not. Some are very organized and efficient. Others are disorganized and chaotic. There is a wide range of personality types. There is also an old school element that crops up, and is seen as archaic.

The bulk of errors involve oral medications, and often don’t do much harm. Now that the pharmaceutical companies calculate dosages, and set up the med carts so they are accessed by the primary care nurse, and individual medications are set up to be dispensed at the specified times – why would there still be oral medication errors? I seriously wonder if all the new and improved controls have actually improved things.

In fact, the errors seem to be worse and more catastrophic than ever. Is it because the new system of dispensing is faulty? Is it because there are so many glitches, they need an over ride just to give someone a Tylenol? We used to stand and pour the medications, taking each bottle of stock pills off a shelf, and adding it to the little cup of pills with just a med card in a slot with the patient’s name and room number. It was old fashioned, but it seemed to work.

After that method went out of style, they invented blister packs. In this case, the pills were on large cards, on big flip racks, arranged by patient name, and bed numbers. The nurse would punch out the pills for each person into a little cup, hand them out, observe the patient taking the pills, and then carry on to the next patient. What could be simpler?

It’s not so much the blister packs, or the medication dispensing carts, with a code to punch in the nurse’s ID when removing medications that leads to errors. The problem seems to be the glitches in the system, and the nurse’s inclination to over ride the system when she is in a rush.

There are mistakes that make you wonder how on earth it could happen. But to be charged with homicide, is enough to put the fear of God into a person. Lives can be destroyed in a matter of seconds.

To evaluate the recent cases that happened in the US, while trying to be open minded about the basic practices leading up to the errors: In the RaDonda Vaught case, she chose to over ride the medication dispensary checks and balances, likely because she was in a rush. Or it may have been a common practice in the facility, due to the hassle of accessing prn medications. It is not uncommon to have trouble finding what you are looking for, especially for new or causal staff. PRN means to give a drug when necessary, usually for pain or agitation.

When a patient is admitted, they get their medications set up by pharmacy. But in the case of one time doses, or prn medications for an outpatient or ER patient, the medication is typically taken from ward stock. In this fatal case, she took out the wrong medication called Vecuronium, which is an anesthetic paralytic drug, instead of the drug she was supposed to give called Versed, which is a benzodiazepine or tranquilizer, commonly used to relax and sedate a person.

The drug was also labeled in red to indicate it was a paralytic, but she must not have noticed the warning on the label. Or if she had minimal experience with the drugs, she might have thought Versed was an anesthetic drug, and perhaps correlated it as being a generic name. Sometimes Versed is used in conscious sedations, so she may have been inexperienced in her knowledge of the drugs, and assumed that Versed might be labelled as such. Versed can slow the respirations, but it certainly does not paralyze the muscles of the diaphragm. So she did miss some key warning signs.

Part of the problem in nursing education, is the number of names a drug can be known as. The nurse might be confused by the wide range of names used for the same drug. She might make fatal assumptions. Although it is difficult for most of us to put ourselves in her shoes, we can see how a fast-paced, highly complex system can go awry.

The nurse in question gave a patient who was anxious about going through a CT scan, a potent anesthetic drug, as opposed to a minor tranquilizer. After giving the paralytic drug, she did not go back and check on her patient. It would have probably been too late, even if she did check her within fifteen minutes, because Vecuronium paralyses the muscles of the diaphragm so the patient cannot breathe. She would have needed to be intubated immediately. She could have been saved if someone had the presence of mind to manage her airway with a bag and mask, until they were able to get her intubated.

The explanation of medical errors being like the lining up of the holes in Swiss cheese, with numerous factors or mistakes, one after another, that led to a tragic outcome for the patient, seems to apply to these cases. The nurse did admit her mistakes, and has shown remorse. Clearly it was not an intentional error. As a consequence, she was sentenced to three years probation, and cannot work as a nurse again.

In another recent case in the US, a nurse was charged with homicide for giving an agitated patient a drug (again it was Versed aka Midazolam) to sedate the patient. This is a different situation. In this case, she was assigned to help with or take care of a 97 year old patient who was difficult to manage, confused and distressed.

The nurse called the GP for an order to sedate the patient, and the GP refused to give an order. She then asked a nurse practitioner for the order, and was refused again. Some of the nurse comments made on FB attributed the refusal to give an order, is because often the elderly do not tolerate benzodiazepine drugs well, and/or the possibility that the patient was being monitored for a head injury due to a previous fall.

However, the use of benzodiazepines in LTC is very high regardless. In fact, the growth in the use of benzos in LTC has grown exponentially since covid started, and they were overused prior to covid. So in this case, it is rather difficult to understand why the GP or NP did not assess the patient, and give appropriate orders.

This one seems to be a case of medical ethics, and power struggles. The nurse, being unable to get the order to settle the patient, took matters into her own hands, quite literally. In order to get access to the medication without an order, she went and took it out of the med cart under a different patient name. She somewhat surreptitiously drew up 2 mg. of Versed and went and gave it to the agitated patient.

She drew attention to the fact she was giving him a drug by claiming to be flushing his IV, yet it was noted she was using a different size syringe than one normally uses to flush IVs. When questioned about it, she replied that she gave him “something special”. In addition, the patient calmed down considerably after she gave the two mg. of Versed.

After that, she went and asked another nurse to watch her waste the Versed that she claimed to draw up for the previous patient. She told her colleague the patient had requested it, and then refused it. She did this as a cover to explain why the other patient did not receive the drug, even though it had been dispensed. She must have had the witness watch her discard normal saline, or possibly the unused portion of what was dispensed. It was all rather cagey by the sounds of things. It is hard to understand why she took such a chance, and placed both the patient and herself at risk. Not to excuse what she did, but she must have been fed up with trying to manage him.

One of the supposed safeguards and standard medication rules in nursing, is that certain drugs, namely narcotics, must be witnessed and co-signed, if they are wasted. So once again, we can see where this nurse did a series of things to get her self into hot water. But was it homicide?

As it turned out, the patient was fed sometime after the drug was administered, then aspirated food, and unfortunately died five days later. After he was sedated, he should have been put to bed and turned on his side, never mind feeding him. But hindsight has little benefit, especially when what he did receive was not charted, because there was no order to give it legitimately. So anyone called in to evaluate his change of condition, would not have had a clue what caused him to aspirate. When the chart was checked, there would not have been any indication that the medication had been given to him.

The biggest question that came to mind for me, is “what if she did get the order as requested”? It would be a non event. After all, it is not uncommon for 97 year old patients to die. He may have aspirated and died anyway. He may have had a brain bleed. Who knows?

The real issue is why there was such a disconnect between the nurse’s judgement, her actions, and the outcome? If she really was trying to kill him, she could have used any number of other drugs like insulin or a cardiac drug. It sounds like she had justified in her own mind that he needed this medication, and did not accept her role as being the one to administer, not order the medication. She was dishonest, but yet somewhat brazen as well.

To give an alternative view on this incident, although it is certainly not something to condone, we still have to look at the Swiss cheese type shortfalls. Personally, when someone was extremely distressed and out of control, I would hound the GP to come and assess the patient, and give some orders to alleviate the distress. Sometimes to get an order, a nurse has to go through a few hoops, and be persistent.

Many times, there is a power struggle between doctors and nurses. Certain doctors over medicate, and certain others will not give an order to sedate a patient, even if they are palliative and in a lot of pain. One thing for certain, is that many health care professionals do not realize when a patient transitions from being a LTC or acute care patient, to becoming palliative. There tends to be more mercy, and comfort measures for palliative patients.

By all means, it is awful to sedate the elderly just to keep them from making demands. In addition, there is a long list of medications that should not be used for chronic conditions in the older population. The use of antipsychotics for instance, is a nasty trend. Personally I believe the poly pharmaceuticals in LTC does far more harm than good.

But – when a person transitions to palliative, and/or is showing signs of severe distress and agitation – shouldn’t they be given something to alleviate their distress? She had no right to take matters into her own hands, but it does sound like the GP and nurse practitioner who withheld the orders, may not have done a proper assessment.

There is a gap in recognizing what is manageable and what is unmanageable. The nurse, being the one who has to do the direct patient care, seeks solutions or cuts corners. Right or wrong, that is what happens.

In fact it seems like the more controls they have put into the medication administration systems, the worse it becomes. Nurses quickly learn to over ride the system. Making a habit of doing so – is bound to lead to tragic outcomes.

One of the obvious problems is the workload. It is beyond the criteria contained within the standards of practice. Therefore you have the standards, and various policies versus reality.

A blanket defence to cover all nursing errors, is not feasible or desirable, because some of them are pretty outrageous. Most nurses do not make intentional mistakes, or over ride several checks and balances to get something done. So the mistakes or bad judgement of a few, should not taint the rest.

Another recent case reported in the news, involved a rookie nurse crushing up oral medications and putting them into the IV. It’s hard to even imagine how she managed to do that. Apparently she did not make it to first base in her critical thinking skills. Such mistakes, hopefully – are few and far between.

The number of mistakes made, including the even greater number of unreported mistakes, does warrant an overhaul. First of all, there are way too many names for one drug. They vary from generic names, to the trade names, and often have overlapping similarities to the names of other classes of drugs.

To give an example, a couple of OTC meds people might be familiar with; Gravol has the generic name dimenhydrinate, and Benadryl has the generic name diphenhydramine. You can see how a person might become confused, if she is looking at different drugs with very similar names, and often a multitude of different brand names. That is one of the problems contributing to medication errors.

Another contributing factor is the need to over ride, or the practice of doing so to save time. This is a responsibility of the facility if it is common practice.

Another key contributor to making errors is the attitude or expectation that nurses and doctors should be equipped and knowledgeable in all circumstances. It is difficult to admit to not knowing what you are doing. The old adage “fake it til you make it” is a part of the system, like it or not.

Back in the sixties and early seventies, nurses did about one third of their education in clinical practice at the bedsides. It got to the point where student nurses where being exploited as cheap labour. This was seen as undermining the profession, and not the best use of the educational dollars. Nursing education became increasingly theoretical and academic, with less and less time spent doing direct patient care.

The problem is, direct patient care involves all kinds of intricate procedures, not just a knowledge of medication, but things that you need to know. It might be sterile technique in accessing central lines, or something as small as which way to turn a three way stopcock. There are many things a nurse must do that can be lethal if she does not know what she is doing.

From a nurse’s perspective, always err on the side of caution. The time it takes to double check something is of far less consequence than getting charged with murder. Always get an order. It is not uncommon for nurses in remote and rural areas, to give a drug to a patient in the middle of the night, so they don’t have to wake the doctor on call.

Then typically the nurse would get a “cover order” in the morning, and if all was well, the doctor would give the order, and graciously thank her for not calling him. This may not be a common practice in the US, but it certainly has been a common practice in Canada.

My view on it was to always get the order, never mind taking such chances. For what? So you don’t wake the doctor up, because he might be snarky and miserable? Too bad. He/she is on call for a reason, and you would be dumb to assume they would give you a cover order if things went sideways.

From a patient’s perspective, know what you are being given. Ideally all patients should have an advocate, or family member at their bedside to help oversee their care, and to question anything that seems off. No one should administer a drug without telling the patient what it is for. If the patient is concerned, withhold it, double check, explain it, and call the doctor if it is not clear. It is also important to let the patient know they have a right to refuse it. If you act in their best interests and pay attention to their concerns, you are far less likely to make a mistake. In fact, if you take heed to even the slightest discrepancy, it may protect both patient and nurse from making a fatal error.

Overall, if an organization has multiple medication errors, they need to seriously evaluate the system. Yes professionals do need to take a certain amount of personal responsibility, especially if they veer off acceptable standards. But it is a systemic problem, if there is not sufficient time or resources to cover for inexperience, and making exceptions to the rule.

The bravado, and the expectation to be cool as a cucumber under duress, as a demonstration of competency, is not a good thing to cultivate. The systems are overloading health care workers. It has been going on for years.

Without a doubt, the addition of all the covid protocols, PPE, and added stressors, have precariously overloaded an already broken system. Most nurses are appalled at the thought of making a serious error. They live in fear of getting thrown into a situation they do not know how to handle, and therefore are vulnerable to making an error.

Perhaps the biggest contributing factors when it comes to medication errors, is fatigue, stress, and burn-out. A person can easily be legally impaired due to lack of sleep, constantly changing shifts – often being awake for twenty four hours at a time. This is far more common than people realize. If a nurse does two twelve-hour day shifts, followed by two twelve-hour night shifts, it means when switching from days to nights, she is working a night shift with just a nap. Keep in mind that many nurses also have small children to care for during those switchover days.

How many people could function with full cognitive faculties and alertness for a twelve hour night shift without sleep? Yet that is the norm and expectation in nursing. You do the two day shifts, and then try to get a nap in on the day you switch to nights. Unless a nurse takes sleeping pills, it is unlikely she can sleep for eight hours during the day, when for the previous days, she was awake and working during the day.

On a practical level, all medication carts and med rooms should have mounted magnifiers, and light loupes, to be able to clearly see the labels, warnings, and print on a medication vial. One of the things I distinctly remember as a young nurse, was being asked by older nurses, to check what the fine print said on the medication vials.

The importance of accurate charting cannot be stressed enough. The chart is the legal document, and is what is used if there is a court case, or investigation. If a nurse forgets to chart something she did, she cannot verify whether she did it or not. Charting is often neglected because patient care is a priority, but nurses should stand firm, and get their charting done, even if it involves overtime pay.

But the idea of being charged with homicide for mistakes, or criminalized for unfavourable patient outcomes, brings things to a whole new level of stress in the profession. I think this type of trend will increase the mass exodus from the profession, and also increase the trepidation in entering the profession.

For those of us who have worked in the role of an RN, and know how crazy busy it can be, we are just thankful not to have to endure the covid trials. I like many others, am so glad to be out of the profession. What a fiasco. They have my sympathy, and let’s hope the homicide charges are few and far between.

As far as mistakes go, in all honesty, every retired nurse, and all experienced nurses – have witnessed some humdingers!

Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West (2022). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Do We Have Immortal Souls?

August 24, 2022  | Valerie Hayes  | Health & Wellness, My Story, Thoughts & Ideas, Valerie Hayes, View All Articles & Photos

This is another hotly debated and controversial topic in Christian theology. It has also been the focus of many cults, as well as various religious and Christian interpretations of the Bible.

It is very common for people to interpret the Bible based on what they want it to say. In addition, the language translations vary, and quite often the punctuation, or lack of it – makes all the difference in the world. Also, the portion of the sentence with emphasis, can alter the meaning. Even minor alterations to the Bible can lead people down a rabbit hole, instead of the truth.

There are mysteries contained within the Bible that will be revealed in due time, so we have to be patient. Regarding the question of whether or not the soul stays alive when the body dies, we are given many verses that do refer to the souls being asleep.

Many preachers will vehemently deny this regardless of the verses that describe the period of time between death and Christ’s return.

On one extreme, there are those who believe that dead souls roam the earth, and can be contacted by psychics, or other mediums. Some believe the soul stays with the bones and/or can haunt their oppressors. Others believe the soul dies completely when the person dies.

The way I interpret it, is that there is no further contact with earth or the people of the earth once a person dies. I don’t believe they can communicate with people at all. Several verses reinforce the fact they are not doing much but waiting and resting. And they do sleep, because there are many such references. There are also verses to indicate they can be roused.

The only times the souls are roused is based on God, not some other entity. Those who try to conjure up communication with the dead, are dealing with spirits instead. And since they are not of God, they can be very deceptive, and are not to be meddled with.

The only times the dead are roused, is based on various miracles of God, and what is happening in heaven. People on earth have no power over the dead, in any way. Of course we can embrace the personality, the memories, and the love for those who die, and all the good they brought to us. But we have no control over where they are, or where they went. We know we will be reunited some day, but that’s all.

The basic description is that the wicked dead go to one location, and the righteous dead go to another location.  The notion of the soul leaving the body is not new. Almost all people who describe near death experiences, describe their soul leaving, hovering, and then going somewhere.

But sticking to what the Bible has to say, it does describe a great chasm or distance between the two groups of people. It does not say people automatically go to heaven or the torment of hell. it just describes Hades, or Sheol or Hell to be a holding place of some sort.

Obviously it is not a holding place for dead bodies, because our bodies do return to the dust, or to ash. Over the years, working as an RN I saw enough people die to know beyond a doubt that their soul and spirit leave the body.

The way I envision it – based on the various Bible verses and observations, is that our souls do leave our bodies and go somewhere to a resting place of some sort. God is in charge of where we go. There is no immortality concept that makes us immortal outside of God’s decisions. Those who believe it is blasphemy to believe the soul does not die with the body, are not giving us credit for the fact we fully acknowledge who is in charge of our souls. We can trust Him too.

If the soul dies when the body dies, why would there be a need to have Hades or Sheol? Why all the descriptions about the soul going there, if the soul is dead? If that were the case, wouldn’t all people just stay dead in their graves, until Christ’s return? What is Hades for then? Who resides there? Think of the people who died 5000 years ago. That’s a long wait!

In my own estimation, based on the text I have read thus far, the soul does leave the body. But it is only to be taken to the assigned resting place, and does not hover long near the earth. Nor is it intended for people to try to stay in touch with the dead. Most of the time, the dead know nothing. There are some verses that show they can be stirred up, and made aware of something, but they are not working, planning, or doing much of anything but waiting.

The answer in my opinion to this age old question, is both yes and no. Yes the soul is immortal for those who believe in God, accept Christ, repent, and then keep His commandments. And for those who do not, their souls are immortal until the final judgement day. No one but God has the power to destroy the soul.

At some point in the future, the whole world will be full of the knowledge of God. The time is near. Again, this is for the believer in a young earth. Part of the problem with interpreting the meaning of certain things in the Bible, is the overly literalistic view, or the other extreme – a loose metaphorical, supernatural angle, applied to everything. It is neither, and it is both.

The Bible has both literal meaning, and enhancing poetic frameworks. We simply do not have the scope of human history, or the knowledge of the fullness of God’s plan to fully understand it. It is the reason faith is so important in this journey we have all embarked upon.

According to the young earth theory, which does not have much acceptance in a secular world, but regardless, if time is traced back, and anchored to certain historical events, the earth is around six thousand years old. Many also believe that in a parallel concept to the world being made in six days and on the seventh day, God rested, that after the six thousand year time frame, the era of the millennial reign is soon to be ushered in.

We are in perilous times, but also very interesting, and exciting times. The topic of death has never before been so front and centre, as it has been this past couple of years.

To help alleviate anxiety on the topic, it is a good idea to study the Bible, or delve into whatever belief system you hold on the topic. It is something many people ignore, yet is is the most important aspect of the human condition and existence. The entire Gospel is about the ultimate victory over death. It casts out fear.

To help prove the existence of Hades or Sheol, and where some people go when they die, here is a verse from the KJV Bible to ponder. To me, it is another verse to confirm the dead can be awakened from time to time. But they don’t control it, God does. Below the verse I copied a portion of the context ascribed to this text. In this case, it is very descriptive regarding the destiny for wicked leaders.

“Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.” Isaiah 14:9

“All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us? ¹¹Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee. ¹²How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!”

Revelation 6 Verses 9-11:

“9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:

10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.”

John 5: 28-29:

“28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,

29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”

John 11: 11-14:

“11 These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.

12 Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.

13 Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.

14 Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.”

Mathew 27: 52:

“52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,”

Luke 16: 23 – 26:

“23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.”

Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West (2022). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

The Often Overlooked Benefits Of Micro Nutrients In Herbs

August 20, 2022  | Valerie Hayes  | Health & Wellness, My Story, Thoughts & Ideas, Valerie Hayes, View All Articles & Photos

The scope of micronutrients in food and herbs is vast. The polar opposite is just as expansive. When you take a tour around a large supermarket, it demonstrates the range of what people eat. The supermarkets have a wide selection of packaged food. Not all of it is unhealthy, but a good percentage of it is not exactly nutrient dense.

To embark on a whole food diet, it simply means to eat fresh produce, lean meats and fish. But convenience over rides the cooking from scratch habits. It takes longer to chop vegetables than it does to order a pizza. Since our world has slowed down, and people are confined to home more, it is a good time to nurture ourselves with healthier foods and food habits.

I have often grown two or three herbs, but never placed a major focus on using them every day, in multiple different ways. Nor did I do a great deal of research on the individual herbs from a health perspective. I used ginger and turmeric, oregano, rosemary, basil and garlic mainly.

This year I grew numerous herbs, and have made a point of using them every day. The list includes mint, rosemary, tarragon, oregano, thyme, sage, chives, chamomile, dill, basil, parsley and cilantro. By growing the fresh herbs and using them often, it is quite economical. Later in the fall, they can be cut down and dried for tea.

For example, if you buy fresh dill at the grocery store, it is around $2.50 a bunch. The herbs are packaged in a plastic container, and may not be very fresh. They certainly won’t be as fresh as the ones you snip straight from the plants. Plus when you buy it packaged, you may not use it all, and a portion of it ends up getting thrown out. When you grow it, you only take what you need for the recipe. They can be grown in any sunny location, including in containers on balconies and decks.

In doing even a cursory bit of research, I learned each one of them is loaded with a wide variety of nutrients and antimicrobials. They also flower, and are quite aromatic to work around. They add a wonderful array of flavours, and scents to whatever you add them to. Many go great with boiled eggs. You can add them to salads, soups and sauces, and even make medicinal and healing products, foot soaks etc.

With all the news about health, and fear over maintaining health – combined with the increasing food costs, it is wise to learn more about nutrition, and put more time into food preparation. From husking and freezing fresh corn, to baking our own bread, this aspect of change can be a positive one.

The best we can do is to reduce waste, grow what we can, and use as many unpackaged whole foods as possible. All things need washing, preparation and chopping. The good thing about it, is that it is enjoyable to handle fresh produce. It’s especially awesome if it is local produce, brought in by the truckload, and there it is, BC produce, in a big pile right from the field, at the local grocery store. Corn and apples are the most common and abundant in this area. The kale is plentiful this year, but for some reason the fresh garden peas have been absent from the shelves.

In my opinion, concentrated supplements in pill form, can be quite dangerous. Fresh herbs used in cooking, delivers a more balanced range of micro nutrients, as opposed to trying to boost specific vitamins, like the recent vitamin D trend. I think it is better to get sunlight, and eat foods with vitamin D.

Our bodies are complex, and every enzyme and nanoparticle is dependent on the absorption of another. There is an intricate balance to be maintained. When we digest real food, our body has the innate ability to extract the nutrients, and direct them to where they are needed. If we add a certain enzyme or vitamin in large amounts, it may upset the balance, get excreted, or possibly even become toxic for the liver or kidneys.

The nutrients and anti microbial benefits of micro greens, opens up a whole new world in food preparation. In my opinion, the use of fresh herbs not only helps build and restore the immune system, but also helps prevent or heal infections, increase metabolic energy levels, and enhances the gut health and mood.

Closely related to the use of fresh culinary herbs, essential oils, derived from plants and trees, are also very positive additions to daily routines. Recently I read that rosemary oil is being used to enhance memory. I love the smell of rosemary, marjoram and many others. But I don’t like the smell of Neem and tea tree oil, both of which are good disinfectants. Neem can be added to a bit of coconut oil and used as mosquito repellant. I have also read Neem is good for many skin conditions.

For those of us who want to stay away from pharmaceuticals, including OTC medications, this herbal health concept is not new. However, now is a good time to take a renewed interest, in how to make food full of good benefits for people of all ages. It gives us some avenues to help maintain our autonomy over our health, and keep ourselves healthy in a holistic way.

In my experience so far, the addition of the herbs, and the range of essential oils, has reduced the iritis flare ups, and improved my vision. If the benefits in relation to a chronic condition are noticed within a few months, it convinces me that adding these extra plant derivatives – is probably helping in other ways too.

It just goes to show you – the little things in life can make a big difference!

Some Odd Things About The Current Doctor Crisis In Canada

August 18, 2022  | Valerie Hayes  | Health & Wellness, My Story, Thoughts & Ideas, Valerie Hayes, View All Articles & Photos

First I will state that I did work as an RN in western Canada, mostly BC, but have not been working in the system since around 2009. But as far as some of the things reported in the news this past couple of years, all I can say, is that in many ways, I could see it coming. And I am very glad to be out of such a dysfunctional system.

The profession of nursing was so steeped in my conscience, because I was forced into nursing by a high school teacher before I turned seventeen. Therefore my own perspective and observations are probably not average, but on the cynical side.

At the time, I had plans of going into English literature, liberal arts, and anything language oriented. I had graduated early, and was academically inclined, but unfortunately, was without parental protection. So I was overtaken by the teacher’s plot for my life, which included him making very strange, false claims of adopting me. I was not up for adoption, and was just months away from graduating, therefore it was an impressionable time of my life.

The teacher colluded with my older brother, and together they created a very difficult situation for me, and a long term stratagem as well. But anyway, it is what it is, and that’s how I ended up becoming a nurse. I did fix a chicken’s leg with a Popsicle stick once, so maybe I did have an aptitude for it.

In reality, I really wanted to get a post-secondary education, so I went along with it, thinking I would be able to switch to something else soon after. Once I graduated, and was out in the work force, I got married, had kids, and had to work. So that’s what I did. But I always really wanted to get out of nursing, pretty much from the beginning. The teacher plot hung over me like a bad smell.

There were many things about the profession that I did like. I met some great people, and learned a fair bit over the years. It was rewarding to be there for people during a time of crisis.

One thing for certain, is that it has always been busy in hospitals, especially in the more densely populated areas. The short staffing in nursing has been a serious problem for at least thirty years. There were 12 hour shifts where you could barely get a bathroom break, let alone eat. Many nurses would duck into the utility room and drink ginger ale. I always kept a pack of peppermint life savers in my pocket, and often that was lunch and dinner combined. Talk about unhealthy, but the pace was incredible at times. We would make sure the nurses who were pregnant, breast feeding, or diabetic would get their breaks. It was the best we could do as far as priorities went

During those years, I worked with several young nurses, and most of us were very fit. We ran, cycled, swam, walked, rowed – whatever. Almost all of us were very active overall, so the system definitely got their work mule mileage out of us.

The older nurses were no slouches either. They were efficient, and did more paperwork than marathons. The paperwork was the most important part of the job, but when you are in the thick of things, it is not always easy to get it documented right away. If something ended up in court, especially in labour and delivery, as a nurse, you could get scapegoated and raked over the coals, if you did something and forgot to chart it.

Or if you noticed something, charted it, but failed to notify the doctor, you would not stand a chance under cross examination. Some nurses got dragged into stressful court cases, where they deliberated for hours over what the clock on the wall said, versus some other watch or clock they may have used to document the timelines of what happened.

At times, nurses who simply walked by or answered a call bell, got pulled into an emergency situation that ended up in court. They might have been a float, doing a fifteen minute break relief. They soon found out, they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. They would have barely known what was going on, or what led up to the situation, yet they had to sit through hours of getting grilled over the nitty-gritty nuances, and all the details of what exactly happened when the shit hit the fan. It went on for hours on end, and they were treated like they were  dumb and incompetent. But truthfully, under some of those circumstances, they were just confused and transient witnesses. Yet they got treated with dripping sarcasm for the slightest discrepancy in their charting or testimony.

Luckily I only had to go to court once, over an MVA in a northern community ER shortly after I graduated. I was so nervous, but the nervousness quickly wore off and turned to mind numbing boredom. I had to sit through multiple other court cases for two full days, as it was a small northern community, and that’s how they did things.

The case I was supposed to testify about, was the last to be heard. It was the most serious case of all of them by far. One of the cases I listened to was about open liquor in a car. Another was an assault in a bar. Another was some scuffle with the cops over liquor, that made absolutely no sense. Another was over a bag of marijuana, which was years before it was legalized. The guy tried to argue that the cop did not know what it was. He claimed it could have been anything. It could have been hay or alfalfa from feeding animals. It was kind of comical.

But the one that got me, was the testimony of an off duty conservation officer who watched a guy try to catch a fish with his hands. He hid in the bushes and watched him for several hours. When the poor man finally caught the fish, which I thought was almost a miracle – the officer sprung out of the bush and arrested him. To top it off, he was off duty. I was flabbergasted by his obsession over something so trivial in the middle of nowhere, when he was not even working.

Apparently it is, or was illegal to catch a fish with your bare hands. I was thinking, what? I mean, I could see it if he used a net when you were only supposed to use a hook, or something like that. But nope. The way this overzealous fish cop interpreted it, and quoted the law with much assuredness, was that the man was fishing with an illegal apparatus. Sheesh after all that…I think he deserved the fish!

Finally after all those petty cases, it was my turn. I walked timidly up to the judge, and he told me the case was postponed, and being sent to another higher court, or something along those lines. He then dismissed me, with a wave of his hand, and off I went. A bit stunned, after all the weirdness of it all, I could hardly believe it. And luckily, I never heard another word about it.

The gist of it was that two men picked up a hitchhiker and then ploughed into the back of a slow moving vehicle. The hitchhiker was killed, but neither of the men remembered which one of them was driving, and nor did they recall picking up a hitchhiker. I think it took months to identify who he was.

In later years I did get called in to give testimony in court cases that were pending, like in a hearing. In those instances I was fortunate enough to have had good recall and charting, so I never had to deal with getting grilled without being able to explain exactly what happened.

In another very bizarre situation, a man died in the hospital, and for some reason the doctor was afraid he would be blamed for the death. So he called in the ambulance. He told the ambulance drivers, who were not trained paramedics, but simply local farmers who volunteered to drive the ambulance to transfer him to a hospital in the city. They did what they were told and off they went.

But when they got there with an obviously dead patient, they got turned away. They were told to take him to a morgue at another location. They found a place that would take him and left him there. But apparently the next day, when the hospital administration found an unexplained dead person in the morgue, they called someone and sent him to another location.

Meanwhile, the family members came to visit, and could not find him in the original hospital. They were told he had been transferred. But where was he sent? And why had they not been notified? As it turned out, his body was lost for several days, and the family was fuming. Who could blame them?

The health care system is an old fashioned hierarchy. The doctors, like any profession, have a range of different personality types among them. Some of them were very egotistical. Others were quite pleasant. If they were insecure, they got mad if you were two steps ahead of them. That was the most difficult part. I could not figure out how some of them got through medical school. I am sure they felt the same about some of the nurses.

The specialists were by far superior when it came to intelligent discourse. If you demonstrated that you were on the ball, they treated you with a lot more respect than most GP’s did. Overall, I much preferred to work with specialists.

The thing about health care, is that things get thrown at people who are supposed to know what to do, yet the health care professional may never have seen it before. So there is a level of anxiety for all those who work in a fast paced environment. You are afraid of making a mistake with deadly consequences. There can be a lot of fear and anxiety if you are a key player, yet are in an emergency situation you have never seen or dealt with before.

The doctors always made much more money than nurses, no matter what the levels of experience were. In particular, they got paid huge sums for being on call, often without getting called in during the night. A nurse who was on call got around $3.00/hr., while a GP on call in a rural location got over $100.00/hr., plus several other perks. So the discrepancy has always been considerable. This was almost twenty years ago, so I am sure it is much higher for doctors now. Of course it depends on where they work.

When the system has to resort to using agency nurses, it adds a huge expense to the health care system. They pay a higher rate of pay, and the agency takes several dollars an hour for every hour, every single nurse working for them makes. Plus they are all short term placements, so travel, accommodation, insurance, and orientation all must be paid for. It is more than double the cost of a union nurse.

What is very odd to me, is the fact that eight doctors have recently died in Canada, with very little follow up on this very odd occurrence among the profession. They were all working, career oriented, motivated, and several were very fit. I think it sent a shock wave, a wave that should have gained more momentum, investigation and answers for a stunned public. Busy, and sometimes overwhelming workloads in health care is nothing new. But people did not drop dead in the past like is happening now.

In fact, until now I cannot even recall cases of young doctors dropping dead. The odd time there would be an accident or heart attack. I remember years ago, a 39 year old nurse finished a 12 hour shift in maternity, and by morning reported that she felt unwell. She was not sure if she would be able to come in for the next night shift, and died within hours after going off shift. We were told she had an atypical viral pneumonia.

Therefore, I can only imagine the dismay and fear that must have taken root in the various workplaces following these deaths. We kind of always thought the doctors were the untouchables, and would not be blind sided by something that came from within the system. It seems very odd.

Now just a few months later, another Canadian doctor is charged with murdering four patients. It is another thing that shocks and floors the average person, especially those who work in the health care system. This too – is unheard of until now. His defence is that all the patients had covid. Wow.

In 1980-81 at the Toronto Sick Children’s Hospital, a nurse, Susan Nelles, was charged with killing babies, after it was discovered there was a 625% increase in deaths over this time frame. The Grange enquiry became one of the biggest murder investigations in Canadian history. Apparently they deduced that the babies had been given lethal doses of digoxin, a cardiac drug. Nelles was on shift for 24/45 deaths, so they placed her under intense scrutiny and investigation. Another nurse was implicated and tainted for life by this investigation as well.

It turned out the cause of death was later revealed to be from the introduction, and use of rubber stoppers in the IV lines. Unknown to the facility at the time, the rubber stoppers accumulated toxins. In many cases, the infants were very tiny and fragile. Therefore a bolus of these toxins when the IV line was flushed or speeded up, could have easily caused their death.

There was no solid evidence to indicate the babies had been intentionally poisoned. What an absolutely horrible thing to have to go through. It caused the accused nurses entire families an incredibly stressful burden that dragged on and on, for what seemed like ages. Thankfully, in the end, it was not as sinister as they made it out to be.

In Winnipeg’s largest hospital, in 1994, there was a five year long investigation following a surge of baby deaths. In each case, they went for cardiac surgery, and twelve of them died unexpectedly. Some nurses stuck their necks out and sounded the alarm bell. They were mostly concerned about the cardiac surgeon, and it took a great deal of risk and persistence before they were finally heard.

The outcome however, was not a murder charge. They found two key contributing factors. One was a problem with the system, and the other attributed it to the inexperience or lack of competency on the part of the surgeon. The nurses were right in that case.

One would think that like the other high profile mysterious deaths in our Canadian health care history, the deaths of eight doctors, albeit for seemingly random reasons – would be sufficient to generate a nation-wide investigation and enquiry. If they did such huge enquiries over the baby deaths, shouldn’t the system care about doctors too? These are unusual, suspicious sounding deaths, and may have been caused by the very system they work for. I know life is not fair – but good grief.

Another thing this country has never seen before, is the number of doctors who have been discredited, and penalized over their views on covid, or the vaccines. It does not matter how much education they have, how much evidence they present, how much experience they have, how sincere and dedicated they are – if they go against the flow, they are slandered beyond repair. This too – is absolutely unprecedented among doctors in Canada. Normally they stood up for each other, and would not do any back stabbing, no matter what. They valued their careers and reputations, and did not mess with anyone else’s career. The Colleges in the different provinces were always reluctant to investigate any concerns about doctors. Now all of a sudden, they are doing what appears to be witch hunts, over what is supposed to be evidence based medicine.

In the past couple of years, we have seen things develop within the health care system that have never occurred before. I can only imagine how much turmoil they must be facing, along with the increasing number of ethical dilemmas they are dealing with now. It must be absolutely gruelling, when combined with a heavy workload, and so many sick patients.

In a sense, no one has their back now. They lost something, and they must have a massive churning of cognitive dissonance, as they navigate these latest developments. They have to deal with extensive political interference in direct patient care. What a nightmare. To top it off, it all goes straight to the media, so they can put their twist on it, before there is a proper investigation. This too is unprecedented. Normally, the media exposure in health care was avoided like the plague. Now it IS the plague.

I think the crux of it, is the political interference in direct patient care. After all, they are the doctors, and that’s what they went to school for. The politicians are purely political, and that’s what they campaign for. To bring this element of trespass, or encroachment into a delivery of care that was once considered sacrosanct and private, with trust being central to the doctor patient relationship – was unheard of until now.

Yes the politics within the health care system have always been a pain. But the conflicts involved staffing levels, pay structures, building deficits, unions, etc. As long as a doctor was functional, no one questioned or showed disrespect for their decisions. Even if a doctor did some really dumb stuff, they never got called on it. They maybe got shamed by the specialist who had to bail them out of whatever debacle they created, but that was about it.

Luckily, on a personal level, I have been able to stay away from doctors most of my adult life. I hope it stays that way, because now is not a good time to get sucked into the system for any reason. I realize many people want and need a doctor, so I hope I can be one less person to make demands on them, and the wildly faltering system.

Otherwise, I don’t know what to think. I feel very sorry for doctors who have been vilified for speaking out about their observations. They would only do so for reasons of patient advocacy. There is clearly nothing to gain. They are doing it for ethical reasons, and in my opinion, should be applauded not punished.

Other than the political interference in direct patient care, I think the fact there is no open investigation over deaths within the system – is a big cause for concern. After the initial shock wave over the doctor deaths, before there could be any coroner’s report, or autopsy reports – there was immediate denial in the media, claiming the deaths were not related to adverse vaccine reactions. How can they rule it out before doing an autopsy, and finding out the actual cause of these deaths? It is unheard of, and people within the system know it is highly unusual.

In the days following the death announcements, MSM reported that one had cancer, another was also “very sick for years” etc. They literally glossed it over.

For any doctor who is close to retirement, or those who have invested enough to get out of the system, or the country – one can see why.

Medicine is both a science and an art. There are brilliant doctors, and there are duds. But they do deserve respect for the amount of education, and gruelling regime of on call protocols, etc. They were placed on a high pedestal of trust, and enjoyed a certain amount of autonomy in their practices. Now, the entire realm of medical ethics is muddied and unstable.

In my opinion, hard work is not that stressful. What is by far the most stressful, is the ethical dilemmas, and divisive polarization within the system. It adds stress galore, and for some, there is no escaping it.

Our minds seek answers. We try to make sense of things. Doctors are used to certain accepted patterns of conduct, which remained consistent in the old fashioned hierarchy for many years. They gave the orders. Some of them talked nicely. Others barked. But they had a position of authority, and were allowed to figure things out for themselves, unless they chose to call in a consult, or the patient asked them to.

They must be spinning. For those early in their careers, they must be wondering what is next. There is no cushy future as they might have anticipated at one time. Meanwhile, it’s not business as usual. It is something else entirely. The oddities are increasing.

They are facing not only things they have never seen before in their practices, but also things they have never seen before in politics. I hope most of them survive this uphill battle. They too are only human, and whatever happens to them affects everyone. Treat them with respect, even if they have differing views.

An open enquiry to find the truth of those deaths, as well as to stop the vilification of those who do enquire about untimely or unexpected deaths, is in order.

The baby deaths in our health care history were investigated. Because they were delved into, they came up with reasonable and plausible explanations for those deaths.

Surely, we haven’t lost our way so much in this country, that we would close the door on open enquiries about  suspicious deaths in health care. Let’s hope not. Open enquiry is a good thing – even if we don’t like the answers. Denial is not an option.

Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West (2022). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Addiction ~ Why Does It Ruin Some Lives & Not Others?

August 17, 2022  | Valerie Hayes  | Health & Wellness, My Story, Thoughts & Ideas, Valerie Hayes, View All Articles & Photos

One of the biggest problems in society today is addiction. When we think of addiction, we are likely to look at homeless camps, and see the losses they have faced as outcomes of the bad choices they made. But the homeless camps are an end result, not the beginning. We might also ask ourselves, where does it begin?

The most simplistic break down of addiction is based on the reward centres in the brain. Like mice in a lab, we are quickly conditioned to seek reward instead of punishment. So once the substance or behaviour is rewarded, our brain quickly recognizes this and creates a pattern of reward seeking.

In many cases, or perhaps even most cases, addiction is a form of escapism, even if it is only temporary. But what many people do not realize, or refuse to acknowledge, is the number of different addictive substances or patterns we can be afflicted with.

The list of addictive attractions is a long one. It includes food, especially sugar, gambling, money, power and wealth. Yes collecting things is also an addiction. People are addicted to a myriad of substances and behaviours. It is the reason so many people will think they have found a solution, only to become addicted to another substance.

Opiate addiction is just one facet of drug addiction. Many people will have great disdain for a heroin addict, without realizing they are addicted too. If we lead outwardly normal lives, have a job and work hard, we are distanced from our addictive natures. If we have multiple resources, support systems, money and respect, we can easily deny addiction.

If we are truthful, we will acknowledge the addiction in our own lives and nature. Television, Internet, exercise, money, fame, prescription drugs, OTC drugs, alcohol, shopping, you name it. In fact, those who are not addicted to something, are probably the minority.

In my opinion, addiction and an addictive personality require insight followed by management and change. Some addictions are not as harmful as others. Some people can manage an addiction for years without falling into a death trap. Others go downhill very quickly.

One of the key awareness raising objectives is to assess whether or not the addiction is killing you or potentially someone else. Therefore addiction that causes overdoses, brain injury, other physical injury, violence, crime, or severe intoxication –  is clearly the most dangerous trap to fall into. It quickly becomes a cycle of despair, and the person loses the ability to self regulate. The substance becomes more important than life itself.

It does surprise me that prescription drugs are seldom reported in the news as an addiction issue, yet there are many powerfully addictive prescription drugs. We still live in a society that will condemn marijuana and list it as addictive, without creating a proper scale of addictive substances, with this one being near the bottom. Why is it less of a problem than what they claim? It does not cause severe withdrawal, and does not cause increasing levels of intoxication. It also does not require increasing amounts to get the same results, and does not cause movement disorders like so many other drugs do. There is no way it can be classified as a narcotic, because it does not have the properties of a narcotic. If a person overdosed on marijuana, would Narcan reverse it? The answer is no.

But, like everything else, marijuana can be a problem. The 1970’s low to medium potency flower is probably not addictive by itself, or the least addictive of all, as long as it is not used in conjunction with anything else. But the very high potency strains, and things like shatter, where potent levels of THC are extracted using a blow torch – then yes it definitely can be unsafe. In my opinion the edibles, candies, and high potency extractions, have the potential to make it dangerous. In addition, if it is combined with other drugs, such alcohol, or prescription drugs, it is probably a bad idea, and most certainly will contribute to putting it in the addictive class.

Therefore, if we were to create an honest scale of the hazards caused by addictive substances, certainly fentanyl, heroin, meth, cocaine, alcohol, and tobacco might top the list. Truthfully though, many prescription drugs are lethal, and contribute to mortality far more than we will ever know, because the media does not report this cause of death accurately. How many secretive addictions are there in the form of prescription drugs, and hidden obsessive behaviours? Far more than we realize, because we look at what is at the bottom of the barrel, not the top of it.

Drugs like Valium and a litany of other benzodiazepines, which are classified as minor tranquilizers have been know to cause severe addictions, with years of tapering just to get off them. The SSRI’s were seen as a method to change chemical imbalances in the brain. Yet there never has been any type of scientific method to measure chemical imbalances in the brain, so how can they make the claim? The SSRI’s like all other psychoactive medications, lead to an increased need for the drug to get the same effect. After awhile many people report feeling like a zombie with no emotional range at all.

Obesity is another killer, yet do we have someone standing guard at the supermarket when we buy our food? How depressing is it to struggle with food addiction? It can be a constant obsession, as well as a very outward and visible cause for shaming.

Shame – ah yes that could be the crux of it all. If we do not have a serious enough addiction to be living on the street, we must be okay. Or so we tell ourselves. We all want to believe we are better than someone else. We are more intelligent, harder working, better educated. But if we could see how impoverished the soul of the person is, they may fare no better than the person on the street.

Many famous people who are often seen as the epitome of success, talent, and accomplishment – will not find happiness as a result of their success. Often they are in despair too.

Addiction is an effort to cope with or escape pain. Whether it is physical or emotional pain, is irrelevant. We have to admit our own fallibilities first and foremost. We tend to judge others, yet we don’t do an honest appraisal of what we need to change in our own life.

Addiction recovery is a long road. For some of us, there may be substitute addictions in the process, and no way of shaking off the addictive personality type, or the early childhood trauma that contributes to it.

Addiction creates an energy of its own. It is an attempt to fill a void with a substance or a solution that cannot fill the void, but rather carves a deeper hole. Before long, you have to climb out of that hole, before you can deal with the demons that put you there in the first place.

Some people can manage their addictions, however it is a significant risk if the addictive substance is also physiologically addictive. It takes many months or years to improve the gut bacteria, and regulate the dopamine levels in the brain. In addition, the emotional, psychological and spiritual factors also have to be faced, dealt with and forgiven.

There is a strong genetic link, and an even stronger trauma link, causing this catastrophic loss of human potential. The intergenerational cycles cannot be overlooked, if we ever hope to find a cure.

Our judgement leads to shame. The more shame is increased, the greater the loss of human dignity. But at the same time, as adults, we do have to look after ourselves and our surroundings. If there is a loss of motivation, the energy within the person loses all interest in maintaining their health and surroundings. It is not really laziness because even a causal observer can see the life on the streets is a hard one.

Shame increases the psychological distance between people. Just as the rich create a distance of obvious superiority and rule over the poor, shame increases distancing as well. Therefore, the rich are less likely to admit to having addictions, yet they may be key contributors to the overall cause. They might be addicted to power, yet are shaming the person who is addicted to opiates. At the end of the day, addiction humbles us. The arrogant will be humbled some day. Perhaps their arrogance is one of the greatest barriers of all. The more power and influence a person has, the more responsibility. Those who abuse power, are the most culpable, even though they live lavish lifestyles. They won’t take the money with them when they go. But they will take the legacy they leave, and it will not be hidden forever.

Even a life of crime to feed the addiction, requires a great deal of energy. If only the energy could be converted or directed toward productivity instead, there would not be so much chaos and mess associated with addiction. Addiction to intoxicating drugs, including alcohol, causes people to do what they normally would not do. There is an underlying desperation as well. They are driven to get the drug, in a way that robs better judgement. Loss of judgement, and disinhibition leads to all kinds of outlandish and irresponsible behaviour.

Possession of drugs of any kind, for personal use, including hard drugs with high toxicity, are now legalized. We might not agree with it, but it is reality. There comes a point where addicted people can no longer take care of themselves, because of the effects of the drugs on the brain and central nervous system.

Each person has to come to terms with their own addiction, in order to overcome it. Otherwise, it is a constant treadmill. We can create order in our lives. We can create structure, cleanliness, organization, divergent hobbies, a proper diet, and let those activities of daily living overtake the negatives. Even something as mundane as creating a daily to do list, can increase dopamine levels and motivation.

We overcome by doing. We have to do things each day to increase orderliness, which in turn gives our soul some stability and security. Many of us cannot survive an addiction to opiates, alcohol, or psychoactive prescription drugs, without abstinence. Some people can achieve stability while still using the addictive substance. Others cannot. It probably goes back to how extensive the genetic, familial patterns, and trauma are ingrained in the person’s neurochemistry and psyche.

One thing does stand out though. Judge not – lest ye be judged. I have read through many of the comments following the death of actress Ann Heche. It does appear she had addiction issues, because she spoke about them openly. But more importantly, she had deep spiritual issues as well. She had what most would describe as psychosis at a fairly early age.

Ann Heche herself described an alter ego or inner personality she called Celestia where she thought she was the half sister of Jesus, and the reincarnation of God. This is probably where the deepest turbulence and disturbance originated. The news claimed she had cocaine in her system, so she may have had a psychotic break while she was driving, thinking she was being chased by demons or aliens.

No one knows what another person is going through. Ann Heche could have committed suicide. She might have been unable to face the prospect of growing old and losing her looks, glamour and fame. Whatever the cause, it was fatal, and tragic, because she was a talented actress with a troubled spirit and soul. Addiction is no respecter of persons. We do not know her background, because even though she claimed her father raped her, it does not appear he was ever charged. If a child was raped at an early age, one would think it would be reported to the authorities. Molestation might not be as obvious, but the rape of a child does show provable signs of trauma, and is seldom overlooked.

Our grandfather was a pedophile, and raised his own family on a hog farm in the middle of nowhere, during the depression era. Yet in spite of the isolation, his crimes against his own children did get reported, and he was charged and sent to jail. He was released after a five year sentence, let out, and reoffended. So he was sent back to jail. This type of history does corroborate familial abuse beyond a shadow of a doubt, because it is based on established evidence.

I can relate to having a traumatic background as a child. By itself that was more than enough to try and cope with. But the worst of it was being dominated and brainwashed by a cultish high school teacher, who made the absurd and false claim to be adopting me, when I was never up for adoption, and was just months away from graduating. The teacher colluded with my older brother, and so the trauma, abuse, secrecy, and oppressive cover over the truth of our childhood, has never been resolved or reconciled. I was scapegoated. The religious aspect of the teacher abuse at the age I was, and under the circumstances, followed and plagued my life beyond description.

Whatever the truth of Ann Heche’s background might be, it was definitely a troubled one. Her brother died by crashing his car into a tree, and a sister died of cancer. The family was deeply religious, yet whatever doctrine they followed, did not lead to forgiveness or healing. One thing I did learn from becoming a target of religious abuse, is that it lasts much longer than every other kind of abuse. It is very difficult to sort out, and even more difficult to comprehend the family betrayal it is conjoined with.

We walk a fine line, and for those of us who do manage to overcome very traumatic early lives, all we can ever say is “by the grace of God go I”. There is no other explanation. Therefore, to me it is clear that only God can heal us. Only in hindsight, once free of the shame, fear, cloud of deception, and spiritual wounds, could I see how damaging the teacher relationship was. We need Jesus, not a domineering teacher daddy-god, and cult to mess up our minds.

I was lucky I did not develop a serious mental illness, psychosis or suicide, trying to cope with the teacher lies. He was denying and shaming who I was, and where I came from, using physical, psychological, and spiritual dominance to force a fake and long lasting relationship. I kept telling him to leave me alone. I did not even like the guy. It was something he contrived, defined and laid out in his repetitious lies, which he conveyed as gospel truth. He would not take no for an answer. In fact, he was the last thing I needed on the heels of a traumatic childhood. It took a very long time before I saw him as the opportunistic predator I now view him to be. I was shamed out of my own cognition. I do find it much easier to forgive family members, as opposed to an opportunistic predator in a public school.

The best I can do when it comes to forgiving the teacher, is to not wish him harm. As far as forgiving him deep down, and sincerely, I hope God forgives me for not fully forgiving the guy. When we are told to pray for those who persecute us, I would sometimes pray “bless him with a slap upside the head, and help him to see the error of his ways”. Bring some wrath upon him, so he might repent and admit wrongdoing. If not, guess where the teacher is headed? I have to say, I honestly don’t care if he goes to hell. One day his bubble will burst. But I do care for my family members, and pray they will not follow in his footsteps.

In the process of healing our past, our spirit and soul, we have to be very careful to discern the religious evil in this world. When we are young, we are naive. All through my life, I struggled against it, without realizing what it was. For the longest time, I thought I was trapped due to the family of origin trauma, and the tragic deaths of close family members. With healing, those deaths are not viewed as so tragic, because they brought good to my world, and I know I will see them again. So when I started to get free of the compounded grief, I finally saw the origin, or the wolf that was eating my soul. Of all the trauma in my life, the religious faux-Christian teacher topped them all.

I do hope Ann Heche cried out to God, and was saved in her final hours of life. We don’t know what she went through, and can only hope her suffering was short lived.

Perhaps the greatest poignancy of sadness surrounding the family, is that her mother has outlived her husband, and four of her five children. I can honestly say, I would not want to be in her shoes. To have two children die by suicide, or as a result of loss of value for their own lives – does not seem like she fostered a stable home life, let alone a Christian one.

If there is a core or crux of the cause, in my own estimation, I would conclude addiction stems from early childhood trauma and familial abuse, especially rejection and betrayal. It is not just coming from the knock ’em down hillbillies drunk on moonshine, that creates trauma for children. It might also be the overly strict perfectionist with a perfect outward life, but lacking in empathy or the expression of love. It could be a workaholic father whose career supersedes all else. One child might be able to manage it, but another with a different disposition, might not be able to.

When we are betrayed or rejected by a family member, what they are basically saying is that their life matters, and ours does not. We are sacrificed, in order to create an advantage for them. This goes against natural affection, which is difficult to reconcile. It is also one of the key components of relationship break down as described in end times prophesies.

“In the last days . . . men shall be . . . without natural affection” (2 Timothy 3:1-3). There are the only two occurrences of this word in the New Testament. The word stergeo (“natural affection”) is one of four Greek words for love. It refers to the natural love that members of the same family have for each other.”

Too often, these familial deficits carry over into the next generation, to create a rippling effect that causes the strife associated with addiction to fester endlessly. In some cases it morphs into problems too deep to contemplate. We need some distance from it. We definitely need boundaries. But we don’t need, or want the “us against them” polarizations, or the scapegoating, or the gulf that separates us from each other if the boundaries turn into steel walls.

No matter who we are, if we are not sorry – we probably should be.

Only God knows our hearts. We cannot know what is in the heart, or future of another human being. When it comes to addiction, as it is with all things in life, we have to examine our own hearts and lifestyles. Although this advice may take a long time to sink in, we are to be sober and watchful. There is so much going on, we are like prey for the wolves if we don’t pay attention.

We are best to repent, forgive, and trust God. There really is no other way out of the mess.

Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West (2022). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Canada’s Rapid Rise In Euthanasia ~ BC Now Has The Highest Medically Assisted Death Rate In The World

August 14, 2022  | Valerie Hayes  | Health & Wellness, My Story, Thoughts & Ideas, Valerie Hayes, View All Articles & Photos

When you consider the fact euthanasia was not legalized in Canada until 2016, this is quite an achievement, if you want to call it that.

To help put things in perspective, worldwide there are just eight countries with legislation to permit medically assisted death. This short list includes Belgium, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Spain, Colombia, the Netherlands, and Canada. It appears Germany was added to this list in 2014.

Just to give some idea on the direction this ole world is going, let’s check a brief history on this rapidly rising cause of death. Belgium legalized it in 2002 for adults only. In 2014, they lifted the age restriction to include children. In Belgium there was a court case when a 38 year old was euthanized over what the family described as a “failed relationship” not an incurable illness. The courts acquitted the doctors involved in the medically assisted suicide.

Luxembourg passed euthanasia legislation in 2008. It appears the percentage of medically assisted deaths in this country are around .2% of all recorded deaths. In the Netherlands, it was legalized in 2002, and is significantly higher at 2-3% The Netherlands was the first country in Europe to pass this legislation. Yet the growth of such deaths in the Netherlands does not have anywhere near the trajectory we have seen in Canada. Is that really because we are so “nice” in Canada?

In Spain, it was recently legalized in 2021. In Colombia the legislation was passed in 1997, which probably makes it the first in the world to do so.

New Zealand just passed legislation in 2021. Apparently two thirds of New Zealanders voted in favour of the End Of Life Act.

When you consider there are 195 countries in the world, euthanasia might be quickly normalized once the legislation is passed, but keep in mind it still only represents a small fraction of a global ideology. Once legislated, it can quickly become a trend if checks and balances are not strictly adhered to.

Canada demonstrates the most alarming trend of all, and even though the legislation was only passed recently, we now have the highest rates of medically assisted death in the world. British Columbia is already at 4.8% of all cause mortality, and no doubt this percentile is climbing as Canada increases the laxity of these laws, to include young people, and those with mental health issues.

For those who have worked in hospitals, we know people who are in palliative care get as much morphine as they need or want. Even if the person can no longer speak, any sign of discomfort, even a grimace, warrants increased doses of analgesic. In all honesty, in many such deaths, we know or suspected it was the morphine, not the disease that ultimately stopped the respirations. Those deaths are not classified as euthanasia though.

Although I have no judgment toward those who make such choices, and in many cases can understand why they might opt out of a terminally painful ending. What I do find alarming is the rapid rate of acceptance of what was considered murder not that many years ago.

It seems once such legislation is passed, the guidelines become less strict very quickly, and the numbers go up dramatically. We went from suicide prevention, to suicide assistance. From considering self harm to be a mental illness, to viewing it as being heroic self sacrifice under compassionate laws.

We cannot accept this form of death as a runaway train, or we risk repeating what was done in Germany during the Nazi era. Before long, the state is deciding who is too sick or too pathetic to live.

Long before euthanasia is a requirement or a “viable” choice, we should be far more accepting of natural death. Our health care system fights natural death, and expects ninety year olds to be admitted to ICU. We still have families who are horrified if their elderly parent has dementia with multiple falls and injuries, yet is not admitted to acute care, and given a full work up. They demand X-rays, blood work, CT scans, consultation with specialists, and medication. Maybe the family member should take some responsibility, arrange for mobility aids, spend more time with their elderly parent, and help draft up a plan to decrease the risk of falls. Or they could get them reassessed in order to arrange for an increased level of care.

We would be wise to use common sense in our caring, and stop putting the elderly through a battery of tests, surgeries, chemo, etc. I think at a certain point, it is pointless.

In my opinion, before we allow the system to start killing us off, we should stop the pretence of preventing all deaths. If an 89 year old dies, it is not a preventable tragedy. We have our priorities completely skewed.

How many times does an ambulance get called for someone in assisted living or LTC who has had a fall? The family expects the person to be seen promptly in ER, and admitted for observation. Does the family ever consider that the elderly person’s trauma is increased by medical intervention? Wouldn’t it be better in some cases to put the person back in their own bed, wash them up, and make them comfortable?

Many will argue that reducing ER and acute care admissions for LTC patients is an implication that places their lives as being less important than the lives of younger people. The way I see it is – the lives of all people are equally valuable. However, the physical body does eventually wear out, and all people die. Over time, various organs and bodily systems begin to fail us, often through the process of aging and chronic disease.

As time goes on, our needs change, and  I think chronic care should be managed with different therapeutics, many of which involve comfort measures, more than medical intervention. More people need to be able to recognize when a person is becoming palliative, so they can support them, instead of being in denial over the gradual demise.

On one hand we have medically assisted deaths, and on the other hand, we don’t want to allow people to die a natural death. This is perhaps the greatest conundrum of universal health care. Those who think they and their loved ones are important, can demand care beyond what is reasonable. Yet it is the lesser human beings who are more likely to be euthanized. In my opinion, it is the reason this legislation creates a very slippery slope.

If a person decides to end their life, even without euthanasia laws, they do have the choice. Because who can know what goes on in another person’s mind? Why does the state have to interfere? Many will say that a person who is in a handicapped, is physically unable to end their own life. But if they are in pain, and on opiate pain medication, they will eventually succumb to the opiates without much pain.

We are indeed living in perilous times. Our lives hang in the balance between life and death. The rapid rise of deaths due to euthanasia in Canada is cause for alarm. We are now a world leader in this cause of death, and look how quickly it has developed. If it has risen to 4.8% of all deaths in just over five years, what will it be in another ten years?

We literally have to guard and learn to cherish our lives. We cannot speak for other individuals, or try to deter their choices, especially if they are made legal. But we can choose life for ourselves, and we can choose to create a care plan that does not involve a full range of medical interventions.

As we age, we can opt for an advanced care plan that limits what medical interventions can be done to us. How many 80 year olds are saved by CPR? The first option is to write up DNR orders. There are many other limits a person can place on medical intervention, without giving permission to be euthanized. This can include transfer to acute care, limits on drugs that can be used, and even limits on forcing food or IV fluids.

It looks like there are eight countries in the world with broadly accepted euthanasia laws. Out of 195 countries it represents just 4.1% That means 96% of the countries in the world still have reservations about passing such laws.

But alas, Canada is now a world leader in this minority. And the province I have lived in for most of my life, is now the global leader of state sanctioned deaths. Does anyone wonder why this is the case? People cannot find a doctor to fix a broken bone, but they can get a prompt response, and have a doctor do a house visit if they decide to end their life? Does that tell us what the priorities in health care have become?

Euthanasia is supposed to be a personal choice. Let’s hope they keep it that way. Personally, given the direction things are going, I would never even consider euthanasia for myself. I would far rather trust God, as opposed to  trusting the state, or even myself for making such a judgement. How many times does a person come close to death and survive? Those who do survive against all odds, are meant to be here, for reasons we don’t understand.

When people die tragic deaths, we mourn the loss deeply. We don’t really know why nature takes some of us out of this world sooner than others. We cannot control, and nor should we try to control what we do not understand.

The point is, we should seize life, not death. We all have an appointment with death. But unlike the appointment with the hairdresser, we have no idea when our appointment with death is. Personally I don’t want to make an appointment with some offshoot of the infamous Dr. Kevorkian.

A snippet of Kevorkian’s legacy from wikipedia, shows how far we have digressed from calling something murder, to claiming it is a wonderfully compassionate act of humane mercy. To some of us, it might represent a rise in fascism. These two concepts, like many other contentious ideologies, are as polarized as can be.

“In 1997, Kevorkian was arrested and tried for his direct role in a case of voluntary euthanasia on a man named Thomas Youk who had Lou Gehrig’s disease, or ALS. He was convicted of second-degree murder and served 8 years of a 10-to-25-year prison sentence. He was released on parole on June 1, 2007, on condition he would not offer advice about, participate in, or be present at the act of any type of euthanasia to any other person, as well as neither promote nor talk about the procedure of assisted suicide.^[4]”

If the state contributes to the removal of the value of human life, or removes the barriers to prevent one person from taking the life of another person – what is the justification? Who really knows? It opens a Pandora’s box with a galaxy of crossed motives.

For instance – death does in fact reduce or eliminate the carbon footprint for the person who dies. When we die, we go back to the dust and no longer consume anything.

However, the rich do not have to decrease their carbon footprint, even though it may be a thousand times greater than the rest of us. So in this somewhat macabre parallel of our existence – does our death increase, or guarantee their enjoyment of the available resources? Do they ever get themselves euthanized? Why not just get all people to cut down on their carbon footprint dramatically? Including them. Why would we want to keep promoting the “us against them” mentality to such a degree?

From a Christian perspective, remember it is God who gives us the breath of life. He breathed life into Adam when he created man. When we die, our breath goes back to God. To my way of thinking, if you intentionally take away another person’s life, it will not go unnoticed in the spiritual realm. When God takes the breath, or the spirit of the person who died, back to himself – he will put a mark on the person(s) who ended their life. This is what was done to Cain when he murdered his brother Abel. God allowed Cain to live and carry on, but the consequences were huge, are ongoing, and still have not faced final judgement. Therefore, one of the Ten Commandments is Thou shalt not kill.

When you consider – not only does the state want us to reduce our carbon footprint to nothing, and eat bugs. And that some families would off their granny just for money – it should give us pause. We might be considered to be nice on the surface, but when it comes to human nature, killing people is nothing new.

Killing with kindness? Is there truly such a concept? You mean the sweet, sugar-coated, warm and fuzzy – kind of kindness? With euphemisms galore. No thanks. I think I’ll wait, and keep my date with fate.

Think of it this way. If you go hiking in a strikingly beautiful, but unknown wilderness, you do not know what you will see when you round each bend. It could be another breathtaking scene, or it could be a grizzly bear or mountain lion. Does that mean you run over to the nearest cliff, and jump off?

Life is a God-given journey. One of the biggest challenges in navigating our life, in spite of our many foolish choices – is to make sure we don’t give up too soon. The other challenge is to know when our time has come, and accept it. Perhaps those two concepts represent the greatest polarities of our existence.  Do or die? Dare we say “I do!”

Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West (2022). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Perilous Times Are Upon Us

July 26, 2022  | Valerie Hayes  | Health & Wellness, My Story, Thoughts & Ideas, Valerie Hayes, View All Articles & Photos

Here we are – just as was prophesied long ago, at the end of this age, we are in perilous times. This is not a seven year tribulation based on dispensational theology. It is the real deal with an end in sight. We just don’t know when it will end. When it does reach the conclusion, there will be a very sudden and dramatic shift in the governance of this world.

We shrink back and shake our heads over all the mass shootings in the US, and yet we are experiencing gun violence in multiple communities throughout BC. This phenomena is not just in the areas of high crime and poverty, but can erupt anywhere. It’s not just the night time brawls, drunken rages, and senseless acts of violence after the bars close. We now face the prospect of shootings in broad daylight – in malls, parking lots, schools, banks, and other public places.

I was trying to imagine what must be going through the mind of a shooter, but it is almost impossible to fathom what brings a person to such a state. If it is a gang rival, it is part of the turf, and the people involved know they could be targeted.

If it is a simmering revenge killing, it removes us from the line of fire, if we have nothing to do with the plot or the problem. But even so – we are caught in the crossfire of fear in our minds.

One of the recent shootings targeted two women, the mother of the shooter’s child, and an ex girlfriend. Apparently there was an upcoming court date set for an assault alleging an attempted strangulation. Just taking the general information from what is reported in the news, in my opinion, the guy should have been in custody for such a serious assault. If he had been in custody until after the court date, the tragedy might have been averted.

From the perspective of female victims, it might have been safer for them to seek shelter away from each other in a secure building, as opposed to staying together in a house. It’s hard to believe that a man with such a violent record was roaming the streets, driving a vehicle, and carrying weapons. His final act of desperation was to take his own life, which may bring some relief, but it does not lessen the grief for those affected by such horrific homicidal rage.

Few things cause more danger to the public, than a person who has lost value for his or her own life. Some will internalize their depression and anger. Others will externalize it with violence, rage and blame – for they cannot see themselves inwardly. Therefore, the fire burning in them is one that is all consuming. It will spread its flames, and destroy whoever comes into their path.

The recent shootings in Langley, with a different motive to target the homeless, leaves us stunned at the senseless attacks upon vulnerable people.

We as a society are burdened with a judgemental attitude toward the poor and addicted. Yet if we are honest, we will admit, we stand on the precipice of the unforeseen, with the potential for catastrophic failure and loss as well.

If we set aside our vanity, and acknowledge the fragility of our existence, we will soon realize that we too, can be pounded into the dust of the earth, and cast out as dirt in the street.

None of us know when the ultimate calamity will strike. If there is a massive earthquake, we will all be destitute in a pile of rubble, wandering the streets in shock and dismay. Therefore we should never judge the poor, or those who are broken. We are only a hair’s breadth, or a heartbeat away from our own fate.

One of the central problems, is in the propensity for humans to seek superiority over others. If we have more wealth, more beauty, greater intellect, good jobs, stature, and financial backing – then surely we will be safe, or so we think.

Peril wears many disguises, and we fear violence, especially random acts of violence. We fear what we have no control over, and day by day, we realize how little control we do have.

The antidote to fear and anxiety is faith. We have come to a point where we have to live by faith, not blind faith, but faith in the gospel of Christ and what it teaches us. In the last days perilous times shall come. We can look up those verses and see exactly how it is described.

Deception is our greatest enemy. We cannot live by faith if we do not know or discern the truth. The media is rife with deception, and getting worse by the day. Many of the churches are steeped in false doctrine. If you listen to sermons on youtube, you will find nine out of ten are preaching false doctrine.

We are witnessing an unprecedented homeless crisis, but it is far greater than being without shelter. It is an exhibit of impoverished souls slipping in and out of existence, seeking escape where there is no hope. It is a roller coaster cycle for survival, with no rhyme or reason, where the only appointment is with death.

In a previous generation, people came to Canada and homesteaded the land. The conditions were rough, often with large families living in a one room cabin, or even a chicken coop. The difference is that people would still go out and chop wood, feed the chickens, milk the cows, or whatever needed to be done to stay warm and put food on the table.

Now, we have people in large numbers who cannot even work. They are ravaged by the damages done to their brains and central nervous systems by drugs. We see young people on the streets who show as much damage to the brain as stroke victims in long term care. Yet because they cannot care for themselves, and have no one to care for them, there is a loss of dignity. For those who have serious addictions – they need care. But how can faltering systems take care of so many people?

Violent people require intervention and monitoring. The majority of the addicted and mentally ill are not violent. No one is more vulnerable than those who are on the streets, because there are violent people among them. The meek have no protection against unbridled aggression.

The most obvious sign of a truly deranged and mentally ill person – is constant violent, and out of control rage. As a pattern of behaviour, they invent and fuel their own rage, and then look for someone to blame it on.

Anyone who is in a constant or frequent state of rage, especially when combined with violent outbursts, as in a loss of self-control, both physically and verbally – is a dangerous person. If they are disinhibited by drugs or alcohol, the situation is even more volatile.

It is one thing to be angry, and often anger is justified. But violence, or unlawful revenge is never justified. The purpose of anger is to make a grievance known through proper channels of communication. Anyone who threatens violence, or acts out, or screams and curses out of control, needs urgent treatment. More so, the community around them needs to be protected.

Mental illness education often revolves around depression and anxiety, but there should be a more efficient way of triaging the mentally ill, so those who are full of rage are prioritized for immediate intervention. It seems so many of those who commit such terrible crimes, show signs of impending and rampant violence well before the finale. Yet no one does a damn thing about it, until they go on a violent murderous rampage. There needs to be more focus on prevention in all aspects of health care, but none so important as with the mentally ill who are rumbling with rage, like a volcano ready to erupt.

It is interesting to note, the field of psychiatry was not defined as such until 1808, with the earliest practices beginning around 1850. Prior to that, those who treated the mentally ill, were called alienists, which is actually kind of comical. It does not mean they treated aliens, but rather refers to mental alienation.

Psychiatry itself has a rather sordid history. From its over zealous accusations as a psychological political weapon, to assaults on sane people during the fascist eras of Mussolini and Hitler, to the abuse and experimentation on all kinds of unsuspecting patients – it has no rival.

People have been subjected to aberrant torture, to include lobotomies, electric shock therapies, insulin shock, sleep deprivation, large doses of LSD, drug induced severe and intractable movement disorders, and many other debilitating atrocities, all under the guise of psychiatry.

In addition to the nefarious history behind the profession, the now infamous Arthur Sackler, a psychiatrist, created aggressive and deceptive marketing strategies for the pharmaceutical industry.

Prior to the upsurge of psychiatric diagnostics in the 1800’s, they just locked people into asylums, and went so far as to chain people to trees.

Later on they developed a propensity for straight jackets, which were used until the mid-seventies (1970’s). Even now, sometimes people have to be into a four point restraint. They use leather straps that are fastened to a stretcher.

Meanwhile more and more chemical restraints have been developed, and  are now used to subdue violent and out of control people. Sometimes, the person is so out of control, they have to be intubated, and put into a drug induced coma for behaviour control. It is therefore very important for people to control their own behaviour, so someone does not have to do it for them.

Even in my own life, in seeking peace, and freedom from fear of violence, I did not find it through any counsellors or self-help books. The remedy for me was found in the Bible. Not only are we assured of God’s care, and adherence to truth. We are also assured there will be justice, especially for the poor and downtrodden. We are protected, our souls are upheld, and our fear is diminished.

We are entering a time where we must acknowledge God. We cannot live in pride and deception forever. We cannot face the future without anxiety and fear, if we do not trust God, for there is no other path to redemption.

The more polarized we become, the greater the us against them mentality becomes. The elite seem to think they deserve their wealth. They expect they will always be protected behind stone walls of conceit, high gates, and high tech security systems. Yet it can all be gone in an instant.

We tend to think in terms of our physical safety. Meanwhile we allow our souls to be ravaged and given over to the deceptive evils of this world. We tremble in fear at the thought of being cornered in an alleyway, or stairwell by some raging lunatic. Yet the daily anxiety and stress of it all, might eat away at us, until we are sick and hopeless, just worrying about what might happen.

We naturally want to protect ourselves and our loved ones against physical assault, especially getting shot, because it tends to be lethal. But we don’t always give the same level of protection and concern when it comes to safeguarding our soul – yet it is the most important aspect of our existence.

Our soul is our mind, will and emotions. Who should dominate over us? Who has the right to dominate the mind, will and emotions of another human being? No one does. It does not stop them from trying though – therefore we have to “be wise as serpents and harmless as doves” in order to recognize the  more dangerous and destructive plots against our soul.

Be wary of the fact that violence can be translated into psychological, emotional and spiritual abuse, with a soul-destroying vengeance. The more clever these methods, the more they get away with, since they leave no physical marks. But according to the Bible, such assaults are far more deadly, and of much greater consequence for the perpetrators, than those who commit acts of physical violence.

Just think – if those who are prone to violence, and those who succumb to addiction, could have found a way to protect and nourish their souls, would we be in this predicament?

God gave us free will. He also gives us many chances to repent, to change our ways, to be humbled, and to seek a relationship with Him. He does not use force, coercion, deception, or control.

Some people question why God would allow so much evil to exist in this world. It is because we have free will, and people will lean to their own inclinations, and be easily deceived if they choose to ignore God.

The advice is to turn away from evil, vanity, deception and violence – and do good. We are not meant to quit and give up, but to keep working toward good. We are often warned not to be idle. When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, it was from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Even though there is a great deal of evil, the good still exists.

Therefore, our mission in this life is to figure out what is good. We are to purge deception, and oppression. We are to cultivate and show kindness, mercy and compassion, especially for the poor.

There are few gifts greater than peace of mind. God assures us he has blessed us with a sound mind, so we have strength and confidence in that regard. The fruits of the spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, faithfulness and self-control. As we delve into the teaching in the Bible, and navigate the perils of the end times – we can do good and find peace.

God hears our prayers, and values our lives. If we trust in Him, we are adopted into the family of God, and no one can pluck us out of His hand. For this we can have much gratitude, because there is no possible way we can save ourselves.

Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West (2022). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Why An Ounce Of Prevention ~ Is Worth A Pound Of Cure

July 4, 2022  | Valerie Hayes  | Health & Wellness, My Story, Thoughts & Ideas, Valerie Hayes, View All Articles & Photos

It’s an old adage, and perhaps one of the most sensible ones of all time. It applies to injury and fall prevention, as well as illnesses.

A few years ago, before covid came along, I was prone to allergies and colds. It was becoming pervasive and chronic. I did a fairly lengthy fast, which really helped the chronic allergies and colds.

After that, I gradually added foods to a regular diet that would help curb allergies as well as prevent colds. I had been using oil of oregano as a holistic type antibiotic, and then gradually learned more about essential oils, and increased the use of them to include aromatherapy, as hand sanitizers, and in oil pulling for the health of the mouth.

This spring I planted numerous culinary herbs, to include dill, basil, tarragon, mint, oregano, thyme, sage, chamomile, chives, and rosemary. I started using all of them on a daily basis in food preparation.

In addition to using whole foods, with as much locally grown produce as possible, and then adding the herbs to salads, eggs, soups, rice dishes, etc. it provides excellent robust flavours. Most of all, the herbs contribute nutritional benefits far beyond what most people realize.

Almost all herbs have a wide range of antimicrobial properties, to include protection against harmful bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Essential oils are distilled from plants and herbs and pack a powerful range of health benefits. The use of essential oils goes back to Biblical times.

For the longest time, conventional medicine did not give much credence to the use of essential oils and herbal nutrients, as having antimicrobial properties. But now with increasing amounts of research being done, we know that by adding these to our diets, we get nutritional benefits combined with preventative health benefits.

I know many health conscious people swear by supplements, in particular adding vitamin D supplements to the daily routine. I am fair skinned, and try to get outside on a regular basis, so I don’t add any supplements anymore. The main reason I do not add vitamin D is because it is a fat soluble vitamin, and is present in many foods. We only need small amounts, and too much can wreak havoc in our systems.

Foods high in vitamin D – mushrooms, fish, pork, eggs, yogurt, milk, and many others.

The drawback for some people when it comes to using an abundance of fresh herbs, is that they take time to grow (watering and a sunny location). But more so, they add time to food preparation. It is a small price to pay for the benefits they bring.

In addition to the fresh green herbs, garlic and fresh ginger root will also add health benefits and flavours to foods, smoothies, and home made dishes. I saw on a gardening show how to plant ginger root, and get an abundance of fresh ginger. I have not tried growing ginger yet, since you can buy a large piece of ginger root that lasts two or three weeks.

Although my own experimentation is anecdotal, I can honestly say I have not had so much as a hint of a cold in the past two and a half years. Not to say I have perfect health, but it is enough to encourage and promote it as a prophylactic or preventative contribution to self care.

Although I have been reading about the waves, surges, ICU admissions, deaths, and covid precipice we are supposedly on – I must be one lucky person. Kind of like a four leaf clover in the field of non existent covid free data.

I am so relieved, because the last thing I would want to do, is place additional stress on an over-burdened health care system.

My heart goes out to all the working nurses. It is a difficult job at the best of times. This past couple of years has taken away the best of times. If it continues, it makes the difficult jobs – next to impossible. I would rather stay home and eat leaves (and clover)!

Is Hell A Fiery Furnace – Or Is It More Like A Locked Root Cellar?

June 26, 2022  | Valerie Hayes  | Health & Wellness, My Story, Thoughts & Ideas, Valerie Hayes, View All Articles & Photos

From Dante’s Inferno, to the notion of having relatives pay and pray your way out of Purgatory in the Catholic tradition, we all develop images of what hell might be like. We have a macabre curiosity, but we certainly don’t want to go there for real.

Even among Christians, hell carries many different belief systems. The fire and brimstone preachers use thundering descriptions of eternal torment, claiming non believers will suffer in the flames of their iniquity for all eternity, with no relief in sight. This instills fear, which is not the message of the true gospel.

Others believe all people will be saved, or that there will be chances for repentance and redemption after death. Some believe in an immortal soul for all people, regardless of what their beliefs are. Some people believe Christians will be raptured before the going gets tough. There are those who believe you cannot lose your salvation, while others preach it is critical to guard it like a treasure that can be snatched away at any moment. In fact, there are so many belief systems among Christians – the world barely knows what Christianity means anymore.

Honestly, unless you read and interpret the Bible for yourself, you will not learn or discern the truth based on what man says about it. There are so many off-base interpretations, and so many false teachings, it’s enough to make your head spin.

Some of the signs of false teachers, or at least things that should trigger a warning flag for us: the profit motive. Beware of those who are pitching fifty books, and travel the world with an entourage spending millions, and requesting donations to support their lavish lifestyles.

Beware of those who use fear to control. Question all things. Look it up. For example the word “rapture” is something many Christians believe in, yet it does not appear anywhere in the Bible. Why would any Christian believe something that is not even in the Bible? The Bible tells us the dead will rise first when Christ returns, followed by those who are still alive.

The rapture theory is based on the false teaching of dispensationalism. Hollywood movies, novels, and countless churches support this fanciful doctrine. If the term rapture refers to an early rescue of Christians so they do not have to face the dreaded seven year tribulation, then why would the Bible tell us the dead in Christ rise first?

The dead do not need to be rescued. They are already dead. To me, this is making it very clear. We can look forward to Christ’s return at the end of the age, on the last day, with earth shattering certainty. It is not going to be a secret by any stretch of the imagination.

There is no secret rapture of the church, other than in the secret chambers of the John Darby and C.I. Scofield cult doctrines. In fact, the entire belief system of dispensationalism is based on false doctrine, and is designed to destroy our faith, not bolster it.

When I was indoctrinated with dispensationalism, not realizing it was false, I felt nothing but dread. Only after reading the Book of Revelation myself, did I realize how false and destructive dispensationalism is. It is most certainly not the only falsehood in the Darby version of the Bible. But it is the thing most sensationalized. The idea was presented to Darby after a young girl claimed to have levitated during a seance. So, should we even be using the term at all?

The most difficult to discern, is when there is a mixture of truth and falsehood, as tends to happen with cults. Be wary of those who lie, or try to force you to believe something. If they lie about one thing, they will lie about anything. If they try to force you into ANY relationship, they are coercive liars with an agenda.

God has gifted us with a sound mind. We ought to use it. He assures us of the right to free will, and freedom of choice. God does not force us into a relationship with Him, or into any belief system. He guides us and warns us – but people can choose to accept or reject God. If people can choose to accept or reject a relationship with God, then surely no man should be able to force us into a relationship against our will. Why would any person even think they can over rule our God-given rights?

Seriously, especially question any person who uses an altered version of the Bible. Anyone who claims some guru is correct for changing, adding to, or taking away, even one word of the Bible – is an arrogant deceiver. If anyone is going to suffer eternal torment, it is the false teachers and false prophets. They will be judged more harshly, because they deceive and lead many astray.

There are different terms for hell used throughout the Bible. In the apocalypse of the four horsemen, Hades follows on the back of the pale horse, behind the rider. The pale horse represents death, with Hades being quick to follow death. Hades is synonymous with Sheol, or the resting place of departed souls. It is described as being in a location underneath the earth.

Hades has a definition in relation to the gods of the Greek underworld, as well as a Biblical based definition translated from the word Sheol. From the Encyclopedia it is defined as such:

“Hades, in the Greek Old Testament, translation of the Hebrew Sheol, the dwelling place of the dead. ”

Therefore, we can interpret the meaning of Hades on the back of the pale horse. It indicates where people go after death. It also tells us that two of the words commonly used in describing hell – are synonyms, and do not describe a fiery place of eternal torment. Hades and hell are quite different in definition and meaning.

Years ago, I recall reading a description of Hades as being like a darkened root cellar. That was an eye-opener sort of thing to read, opposite of the typical vision of hell. But it might be more accurate than we tend to think. Imagine getting sentenced to a thousand years in prison. It is a long time to await a death sentence.

In the end, there is a fiery lake of hell, or second death, according to my own interpretation of the Bible. In my opinion, Hades and Sheol are the holding place for those awaiting judgement. It is a type of root cellar for the souls of the dead.

Personally, I don’t believe people get tortured for all eternity in a lake of fire. Considering all the warnings about the second death, I don’t know why it would be called a second death, if it was eternal torment. It is a complete contradiction.

Whether or not people can be saved after death, when the judgment day arrives, is not clear to me. Some adamantly say no way, but the Bible does say the books will be opened, and anyone who is not written in the Lamb’s book of life will be thrown in the fire. It does not say whether or not all of those who were in Hades for a thousand years, will be thrown into the lake of fire. In fact there are verses that support the concept of salvation for souls in Hades. Maybe a thousand years will change some minds, and give people another chance. The Bible does say we are appointed to die, and then comes judgment. But the full outcome of the judgement is not clear, because each will be judged according to their deeds.

Some people believe that those who accept Christ, will go straight to heaven when they die. Others believe we go to a place of rest that is more comfortable than the Sheol beneath the earth. Some believe the spirit and soul are separate, and others believe they are joined. Our soul is our mind, will, and emotions. The spirit of life comes from God, and the Holy Spirit is within us, to help us, and to comfort us in times of trouble.

I believe our spirit and soul remain joined together when we die, and leaves our physical body to go to a destination somewhere in the cosmos. I don’t believe Christians go to a place beneath the earth. Some Christians say there is not enough space in Abraham’s bosom. But I think the description of Abraham’s bosom is metaphorical, and means a place of comfort.

Therefore, if we know Christ, we will be taken to a temporary place of rest. Some people believe the soul sleeps, while others call soul sleep false doctrine. Some say Hades is where all dead people resided until the New Testament time. I do believe many were led out of Hades by Christ himself, and after his death, Christians no longer go to Hades.

It is an intriguing subject for sure. We live by faith, so we cannot give any proof, other than what is in the Bible. It seems to me, there is a waiting place for both believers and unbelievers, but they are in different locations. Although it is a place of rest, there are many indicators that people can and do wake up. Other verses say there will be little knowledge of the amount of time that has passed.

There is a time of waiting for the return of Christ after we die, at which time there is a resurrection of believers. It says the dead in Christ rise first, followed by the believers who are still alive when Christ returns. The Bible says the rest of the dead do not live again for a thousand years.

After a thousand years comes Judgement day, and those in Hades or Sheol are brought to life again to face judgment.

The second death is after the final judgement, when the condemned are thrown into the lake of fire to perish. I know there are verses about eternal torment, and an unquenchable fire. However, I do not believe those descriptions are referring to the fate of people.

Regardless, the punishment for the unrepentant is monumental. If we are honest with ourselves about how much we have done wrong in our lives, how foolish we have been – it is truly humbling. I count myself as one of the worst, in many ways.

We can only keep seeking the truth, knowing we have often been deceived throughout our lives. Truth is very important. If we do not seek truth with all sincerity, our hearts will be hardened. We cannot know truth, nor can we have the knowledge of God, if we do not seek truth with all our mind and heart.

If we are honest, we know we are here by the grace of God. We live by faith. Love cannot exist without truth. Yet we are steeped in deception, to the boggling of our minds. We most certainly cannot figure it all out on our own. We need God more than ever before, and we can only hope and pray the false teaching, and all worldly deception – will become as chaff in the wind.

Lies are very destructive. They are clearly among the things God hates the most, and they tend to get worse as time goes on. A lie repeated over and over again, will likely grow, and damage far more people than it did to begin with.

Lies about other people, also tops the list of things God hates the most. So many pious Christians believe in eternal hellfire for a host of other sins, without realizing that pride and lying top the list of the damned.

A refusal to let go of lies is downright dangerous. We may get punished for telling the truth while here on earth, by those who do not want their misdeeds exposed, but it is nothing compared to what will happen if we embrace lies instead of the truth when Judgement day arrives. It means we must apply ourselves fully to the sanctity of truth before we die.

Meanwhile if we can reject lies, we can also hope to have God’s love written on the tablets of our hearts, sealed in our mind, and governing our actions from here on in. We are supposed to repent, to love one another, and do good.

Therefore the good will never be stamped out completely. And as promised, death and Hades shall be overcome at last – when Christ returns. Then all the chaos and deception will be removed, and things will be restored to order. Best of all – there will be no more lies or violence on this earth.

Is Conventional Medicine A Bust When It Comes To Autoimmune Disorders?

June 23, 2022  | Valerie Hayes  | Health & Wellness, My Story, Thoughts & Ideas, Valerie Hayes, View All Articles & Photos

If you look up the treatment options for autoimmune disorders, most involve medication. The top search result gave the following list of current treatments:

• “anti-inflammatory drugs – to reduce inflammation and pain
• corticosteroids – to reduce inflammation. They are sometimes used to treat an acute flare of symptoms
• pain-killing medication – such as paracetamol and codeine
• immunosuppressant drugs – to inhibit the activity of the immune system
• physical therapy – to encourage mobility
• treatment for the deficiency – for example, insulin injections in the case of diabetes
• surgery – for example, to treat bowel blockage in the case of Crohn’s disease
• high dose immunosuppression – the use of immune system suppressing drugs (in the doses needed to treat cancer or to prevent the rejection of transplanted organs) have been tried recently, with promising results. Particularly when intervention is early, the chance of a cure with some of these conditions seems possible.”

When you consider autoimmune disorders are chronic – how can people be expected to take steroids and opiates for years? Those drugs are meant for short term pain, and the artificial reduction of inflammation. It is not wise to take them for prolonged periods.

It seems odd that a list of treatments would not include more about managing diet, stress, and identifying aggravating factors. The problem with the list of drugs offered, is in the long term, they do far more harm to the system than good.

Rather than compounding and exacerbating the chronic health problems with long term steroids, opiates, and immunosuppressant drugs, why not search for the cause? There is no single cause, therefore it makes things more complicated. It’s not like breaking a bone. In that case, you know how and why it happened. But with autoimmune disorders, the cause is shrouded in mystery.

Three quarters of the people who develop autoimmune disorders are women. Therefore the root cause might be partially hormonal. It could also be related to the roles of women, and the suppression of stress, or oppression in general.

If our body begins to attack itself, what might it be telling us? Cognitive dissonance, deceptions, discord, stress, contradictions, self-sacrifice, betrayals, conflicts, hypocrisy, spiritual beliefs, and past trauma – all might contribute to the reasons our body will start to attack itself.

Our soul resides within us, and consists of our mind, will and emotions. If we have a huge struggle exercising our will, we will eventually get sick. Why? Because there is a constant inner conflict. There is a suppression of truth. We might want to face reality, but when we do, we are struck down and stifled. Our will does not coincide with the outside forces.

We were given a sound mind to help us discern truth. Our emotions signal distress, anger, peace and joy. If we are getting constant distress signals, we have no choice but to internalize them.

It is possible women are more prone to autoimmune disease, because women are more likely to internalize anger, as opposed to externalizing it. We are conditioned to be nice. It’s not feminine to fight.

It’s a bit of a conundrum. No one wants to be a raging hag, full of anger and complaints. Yet, if we stifle anger for twenty or thirty years, are we better off?

In the process of changing our ways, we need to learn how to manage anger, and how to effectively assert ourselves. When up against brute force, it takes a great deal of courage. For those of us who have had to deal with coercive control and deception about our own lives, it is a snare designed to keep us trapped. There is no easy way out.

There is a place within us for healing, and forgiveness. As we find ways to navigate relationships and the stressors of life, we can begin to sync up the internal with the external elements of our lives.

There is no quick fix for autoimmune disorders. I remember when I was told by an eye specialist to put prednisone drops in my eye every thirty minutes round the clock. It was not very helpful, and came with a host of serious side effects. So I opted out of the steroid route long ago. The same thing with opiates. If you take them, it is a slippery slope, as most of us know.

Every autoimmune disease has some of its roots in stress, and dissonance within. Therefore, all therapies should have some direction with regards to stress management, meditation, and healing therapies.

It helps to look toward non-medicinal healing such as aromatherapy, hydrotherapy, meditation, walking, saunas, swimming, music and dietary factors. We need to find ways to rest our soul, in order to find inner peace.

The biggest contributors to autoimmune disorders in my opinion: Stress, lack of sleep, chronic anxiety and cognitive dissonance, alcohol, inflammatory diet, and fear. Of course the contributing factors vary widely from person to person, and likely involve a myriad of genetic and hormonal factors as well.

I do believe conventional medicine is a bust when it comes to their list of treatments. Short term relief with medication might reduce the acuity, but it will not cure or even minimize the problem.

As time goes on, I am less and less impressed with pharmaceuticals. They are promoted and advertised as the be all, and end all for every disease, but they are little more than a band-aid solution, and often cause more harm than good.

One thing I know for sure – is that I would never get hired to be a drug rep! To those who swear by certain medications, by all means, take them if you get relief, or believe it is the best approach. When it comes to autoimmune disease, I am only speaking from my own experiences.

Even for those who do take a list of medications – the mind, will and emotions are still very important to our overall well-being.

Stress management, and adopting a model of inner truth that can be externalized without punishment or conflict – might help more than you ever thought it could. We have to navigate our lives based on a complex array of stimuli, both external and internal. Finding out how to integrate the two is the tricky part.

When it comes to cancer, I know it might be a controversial opinion – but I seriously believe it belongs in the camp of autoimmune disorders as well. When you think about it, the body is betraying and attacking itself for unknown reasons. It has many similarities.

Perhaps the most important thing to hope for – is inner peace for all. It settles us down in more ways than one.

What Is Pre & Post Millennialism About? Why Is It So Controversial?

May 28, 2022  | Valerie Hayes  | Health & Wellness, My Story, Thoughts & Ideas, Valerie Hayes, View All Articles & Photos

The Christian church is steeped in debates and controversy about millennial beliefs. Some claim the entire Bible should be taken literally. Others are equally adamant about it being completely metaphorical and symbolic.

We have to keep in mind that the Bible consists of sixty-six books, written by an estimated forty different authors, spanned over a period of fifteen hundred years.

Clearly – some of it is to be taken literally, and some of it is to be taken figuratively. There is no point in arguing about the wide range of literary genres in the Bible. It is poetic above all else. That tells me there is intrinsic truth, descriptive use of language, and metaphor contained within the verses.

If we can admit the range of literary genres in the Bible, we are wiser than if we try to plug metaphorical verses into concrete literalism, or vice versa. How can anyone literally believe that a creature can look like a horse, have the face of a human, the hair of a woman, the teeth of a lion, and gold crowns on its head, with the tail of a scorpion?

What makes the Bible so controversial – is because of the way it is interpreted. Some of the interpretations lead to false teaching. Much of the false teaching is based on taking a single verse or two out of context. In fact, people can use many verses to scare, control, or deceive people. It is always best to go to the source, and read it for yourself. It is far less scary than one might think. In fact, it is enlightening and full of promise.

A significant amount of controversy stems from the false teaching on dispensationalism contained within an altered version of the Bible, written by John Darby in the 1800’s. Over time, this false doctrine gave rise to many Hollywood movies and books about the rapture, the left behind series etc.

The seven year tribulation period is a Darby invention, yet many Christians adhere to the storyline regardless. Once the rapture theology was spread throughout mainstream churches, it was much easier to sell people on a pre-tribulation rapture. When the coming tribulation is thought to be the worst the world has ever known, what molly-coddled modern day Christian would not opt for that belief system? The trouble is – it is simply not true.

There is no mention in the Bible about a specific seven year tribulation period, or a secret rapture of the church before the return of Christ. Therefore all the pre-trib, post-trib and mid-trip rapture theories are baseless. In fact the terminology surrounding these myths is quite confusing. We know it is not God who is the author of confusion.

Once we filter out all the rapture theology, we can more easily examine what pre-millennialism and post-millennialism actually means. Although the pre-millennial belief got tied to Darby’s dispensations, it was a foundational belief held by the early church, but in a much different way.

The dominant Christian interpretation of Revelation, since the early church, believed the millennial reign of Christ would be set up after his return. A percentage of Christians continue to believe this, based on their own interpretation of Revelation. There is no specific mention of the rapture of the church in the Bible. However, the Bible does say that the dead will rise first, and those who are remaining, and still alive – will be caught up in the air to meet Christ when he returns. But it is not called or referred to as a rapture.

A secret Darby style rapture also has the problem of explaining what happens to the group when Christ returns? Many of those who adhere to this belief think they will be returning with Christ to rule the world. Somehow I just don’t see that as being the least bit Biblical.

Of course people can believe what they want to believe. We would be wise though, to seek the truth. There are many warnings about being deceived. It is important to clear out the cobwebs of interconnected falsehoods. Most of us have absorbed a lot of fiction over the years. Sorting it out, is a part of due diligence.

The rapture belief invented by Darby, came from the descriptions of a fifteen year old Scottish girl who claimed she levitated during a seance. The origin of the rapture concept should have all Christians delving into the history, and motives of John Darby. In my opinion – Darby was downright evil. The changes he made to the original Bible are astronomical, and one day – he will be held accountable for deceiving so many people.

The difference between the early church beliefs about pre-millennialism, and the Darby version – is that the early church did not believe in a seven year tribulation, or a secret rapture. They believed that when Christ returns, he will set up a thousand year millennial reign on earth. This belief is based on covenant theology, and God’s promises – and has nothing to do with Darby’s myths that were invented less than two hundred years ago.

The post-millennial eschatology is also a fairly new interpretive system. This point of view claims that the tribulation as described in Revelation has already happened. They somehow believe the millennium reign of Christ happens before he returns, and many believe we are already in the millennial reign. The ideas surrounding this belief system describes a golden period of progress that goes on for a very long time. They do not want to adhere to the concept of a literal thousand year time frame on this.

Post-millennialism was especially popular prior to the first and second world wars. But after the second world war, many Christians could no longer support this concept.

There is a third position called A-millennialism, which means no millennium. They do not refute the chapters in Revelation that speak about a millennial reign when Christ returns. They simply claim it is purely symbolic.

After sorting out the Darby falsehoods, and going back to the beliefs established with the early churches, I think the only conclusion we can make, points back to the early church beliefs, which is referred to as classic pre-millennialism.

Spat out what the Darby/Scofield bibles say about it, and go back to the roots and message of the true church.

As far as post-millennialism is concerned, ask yourself these questions – Is the world really getting better and better? Are we heading into a period of peace and prosperity? Would you go out in the jungle and pet a lion, based on a description of the millennial period as described in Revelation?  Would you let your child play with a cobra? How can the millennial utopia be interpreted to be in process right now? How can there be peace and safety for all people, if Satan is still loose in the world? For these reasons – this concept makes no sense to me.

The other thing to notice about these two very different belief systems among Christians when it comes to Darby based pre-millennialism, or the opposite extreme of post-millennialism nirvana – is that they are polarized in their extremes.

The Darby side is full of fear-mongering gloom and doom, where all one can do is hope for the secret rapture, because the world will be so horrible, so full of evil that escape is the only hope. The post-millennial belief in stark contrast – is full of peace, prosperity, and beauty that gets better and better by the day. Why so polarized when the body of Christ is supposed to be unified?

Even though I have listened to, and read countless interpretations, often by Biblical scholars who are pitching their thirtieth book on the subject, much of it is questionable. No wonder it is controversial. They talk a good game, but much of it is implausible.

In my opinion, all this talk and controversy about the millennial positions are pointless. There is no way we can have long-term peace on earth, until Christ returns and Satan is bound. The sequence of events is spelled out for us.

The Bible is full of mystery and metaphor. Do not be fooled by interpretations that are not part of the original Bible. We cannot possibly know the full scope of God’s plan for the earth until Christ returns.

I believe the greatest risk is falling into deception and false teaching. There are over a hundred versions of the Bible in the English language alone. Many of those translations leave out key words, or they change key words. Those strategic changes, can alter the entire meaning of the scriptures.

We are steeped in a labyrinth of Biblical misinterpretations. It is very important to embrace the truth – in our lives, in our families, in politics, and in the interpretation of prophecy.

Not only is the Bible a combination of literal and figurative language, it is also both physical and spiritual. The end times do bring increasing levels of tribulation. There is a grand scale spiritual warfare at the centre of the conflict.

There is an attack on the minds, souls, and hearts of people. There is a great deal of deception to filter, in order to discern the truth. Knowledge is greatly increased, and when combined with deception, it can be catastrophic.

However, we are told to be of good cheer, to not be filled with fear, and most of all – to work and do good. Don’t be idle. No one knows when Christ will return. There is no way of counting days, or months or years to arrive at a date. We are not meant to know.

We can’t know it all, or even a portion of it right now, which is why we have faith. Some day, the world will be full of the knowledge of God.

Right now – not so much! But we do have hope, because we believe.

The description of the millennium is that of world peace, love, freedom, gardening, music, singing, joy, serving, worshipping, absence of fear, no sickness, no conflict.  People will have all they need, and each will dwell safely under his own vine. The animals will be friendly. The blind will see, the mute will shout, and the lame will leap like a deer!

Eventually, all conditions of the garden of eden will be restored to the earth.

Why Do So Many Medications Have A Rebound Opposite Effect On People?

May 21, 2022  | Valerie Hayes  | Health & Wellness, My Story, Thoughts & Ideas, Valerie Hayes, View All Articles & Photos

Like most people, I have purely anecdotal observations about medications and the effects they have. I just noticed a news article claiming new research shows that taking pain medication for inflammation and acute pain, will lead to chronic pain. In hindsight, I think it’s true. It also often leads to addiction, but even the non-addictive NSAID’s cause pain to become chronic.

The same seems to hold true for antihistamines. If you take them habitually, you end up with a far worse histamine problem. For those who take SSRI’s or serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, they too report a deepening depression or flatness to their lives, to the point of feeling like a zombie.

For those who take steroids, there is definitely a rebound effect physically and in the brain. Even using steroids for iritis, an autoimmune disorder of the eye – leads to white cataracts and a worse loss of vision. From all the research I have done on iritis, the cure can be worse than the disease. Since it is a very painful condition, because of the increased intra-ocular pressure and inflammation in the anterior chamber of the eye, some people have opted to have their eyes removed after they have already lost their vision.

There are cases where an attempt is made to put a stent in the eye, in order to drain some of the excess fluid, but the condition fluctuates so much, the eye would collapse inward when the intra-ocular pressure receded on its own. This meant the person was required to wear a protective cap over his or her eye.

In my opinion – sometimes it is better to look for natural ways to try to alleviate or manage symptoms, as opposed to invasive procedures, and a range of medications. Our bodies have natural healing capabilities. We just have to find the best way to allow for intrinsic healing. That’s the tricky part.

It’s not that all medication is bad – nor is it all good. Some medication is essential, and very helpful. There are cases where people cannot get the symptoms resolved without medication.

The key is to try and navigate all the information, the side effects, the potency, and most of all – how long you have to take it. It is probably helpful to read both the scientific literature, as well as anecdotal forums, where people discuss the management of chronic disease through diet and alternative therapies.

The value of anti-inflammatory foods cannot be underestimated. Supplements might be the choice for many health conscious people, but nothing beats the medicinal ingredients in a whole food diet with fresh herbs, fresh fruits and fresh vegetables.

A wide range of super foods like garlic, ginger, fresh herbs, olives, pineapples, capers, sea weed, nuts, etc. – will have an effect on everything from the gut biome, to the immune system.

One of the biggest advantages of not taking any medication is that it enables you to feel, notice, and monitor what is going on with your body, and the things that might affect you physically. It is much easier to remedy something if you detect it early. You notice your back hurts, and remember moving a big plant the day before, so you know that you strained some muscles. You have indigestion, and run through your mind what you ate, or what stress might have triggered it.

Another advantage in avoiding pharmaceuticals, is that it is much easier on your liver and kidneys, since all medication has to be filtered and detoxified as it is metabolized. For those who take multiple medications, there is the additional complexity of drug and food interactions with certain medications.

Even something as common as Tylenol, can have catastrophic effects on the liver when taken with alcohol.

Gradually, I finally weaned myself off all OTC medications about seven or eight years ago. I have never been one to go to doctors, so I don’t take prescription medications. But I did take Ibuprofen, Gravol, Benadryl, and other antihistamines over the years, which I now regret. If I had life to do over again, I would avoid OTC meds too.

In fact, when dealing with allergies I do believe Benadryl made it worse over time. Again, it seems like many drugs cause the symptoms to get better initially, and then as you become more and more dependant on the drug, it is less effective. Unfortunately this often leads to taking more medication, or switching to stronger medication.

Recognizing this paradoxical rebound effect secondary to the long term or chronic use of many drugs, helps us to get off them. When the drugs are discontinued, it is good to know the rebound effect is only temporary. Then you can develop the knowledge and strategies that help treat the problem without taking medications, or at least reducing them.

There is a great deal of information to sift through in the quest for wellness. I guess the key takeaway – is that no one knows your body better than you do. That includes past experiences, and intuition with regards to treatment options, drugs, and alternative therapies.

No matter how much government interference there is with our health in the coming years, they will never know what goes on inside our bodies and minds on an individual level.

I hope we can forget about government mandates. We should be able to relax as we go about our lives, and decide what to eat. Good food is far better than medicine!

Is There Really A Seven Year Tribulation Period At The End Of The Age?

April 22, 2022  | Valerie Hayes  | Health & Wellness, My Story, Thoughts & Ideas, Valerie Hayes, View All Articles & Photos

In Christian eschatology the notion of a seven year tribulation period has become a standard belief system. Notably the concept revolves around “the rapture of the church”. People further divide the belief into pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation and post-tribulation rapture beliefs.

First of all, a secret rapture of the church is not Biblical. This false doctrine comes from a rewritten version of the Bible by John Darby around 1830. The idea was packaged and promoted by the scoundrel Scofield, who created long lists of footnotes in the Bible, and added to the false teachings.

The word rapture is not in the Bible at all. It was invented and added to the Bible by John Darby based on the experiences of a fifteen year old girl levitating during a seance. Since nothing is to be added to the Bible, or taken away – surely this is one of the biggest lies ever invented.

In my opinion, the rapture is a mockery of the resurrection. For those who believe in the idea of being whisked away to some unknown destination in order to escape tribulation, they are placing their beliefs in falsehood, and in the crooked doctrine of dispensationalism.

Dispensationalism has crept into multiple mainstream churches. In many cases, Christians do not even know they are being taught from a corrupted source. Those who do adhere to dispensationalism to the point of extremism, are the worst of the worst. They demonstrate the cultish and bizarre aspects of this false teaching, by the way they treat people. They believe deception and lawlessness is justified “if it suits God’s purpose”. What they really mean, is anything goes, as long as it suits their own purpose. They have aligned themselves with “the father of lies”.

The fictional versions of the rapture theory came out in many popular books and movies. In 1941 there was a movie titled “The Rapture”. In 1972 it was “A Thief In The Night”. In 1977 “A Distant Thunder”. In 1980 “Image Of The Beast” and in 1981 “Years Of The Beast”. In 1983 “The Prodigal Planet”. In 1998 “The End Of The Harvest” and another called “The Apocalypse: Caught In The Eye Of The Storm”. In 1999 it was “The Revelation” and “The Moment After”.

But probably the most infamous of the creepy movie genre, was in 2000 “Left Behind”. This became somewhat of a series with Left Behind 11 Tribulation Force” in 2002. Then there was one simply called “Gone” in 2002. In 2009 they upped the ante and made a movie called “Knowing” and another one called “Countdown: Jerusalem” and “In The Blink Of An Eye”. In 2112 there was “Mark” and in 2013 “Mark 2: Redemption”.

In 2013 things became even more sinister with “New World Order: The End Has Come”and then with another called “This Is The End”. After that there were fifteen more movies on the rapture and the apocalypse.

The first question we should ask ourselves is – How did Hollywood end up shaping our beliefs about the Bible? And why would they promote the rapture theory with such determination and fanfare? In fact, there is no Biblical basis for it at all. Each person has to sort that out for themselves because the rapture theory, for many is entrenched.

If the secret rapture theory is debunked, then how do they divide the belief systems into pre-trib, mid-trib or post-trib? The concept is so well known, it is shortened to abbreviations with the assumption all Christians would choose one of the options.

The pre-trib fantasy is quite attractive since it means that as soon as the going gets tough, there will be a magical secret rescue. Since the tribulation timeline, which is tied to dispensational theology, spans a seven year period, the mid-trib belief takes people out of the world half way through, at the three and a half year point on the dotted line. The post-trib rapture is an exit into the clouds after, or at the end of the seven year tribulation.

The next question we should ask ourselves is – What about the tribulation people faced prior to all these movies and rapture theology? After all, the Darby Bible was not written until the mid 1800’s. Prior to that, there was no such concept. The early church suffered horrific persecution, yet they had no escape clause. In fact, the Bible tells us that all Christians will face persecution in one way or another. In addition, all people will face a certain amount of tribulation in life – whether they are Christian or not.

Tribulation comes in many shapes, forms, sizes, and disguises. Sometimes we bring it on ourselves. Other times, it just happens. There is tribulation in addiction, in grief, in failure, in betrayal, in violence, in deception, in sickness, in isolation, in rejection, in mental illness, in divorce, in family breakdown, in conflict, in accidents, in poverty, in mistakes, and in injuries. In addition, those who are afflicted and in pain – will have an impact on the people around them. Tribulation has a rippling effect.

We tend to think of tribulation in catastrophic terms, but the weight of oppression can be just as deadly. We are in a spiritual battle more than anything, and the Bible tells us that we wrestle not against flesh and blood.

What is the point of, or meaning of faith for the person who believes Christians are guaranteed an exit from this world before they face tribulation? Tribulation is what tests and increases our faith. We are supposed to have sufficient courage to face tribulation, and trust God no matter what happens. Otherwise our faith is weak.

If we do not become familiar with what it actually says in the Bible, the indoctrination of false beliefs and misinterpretations can be quite confusing. But when you try to figure out how they come to these conclusions, it leaves you scratching your head, because you cannot find what they are teaching in the Bible.

Finally more and more Christian teachers and pastors are recognizing the implications of this false teaching. It is sometimes referred to as “the doctrine of devils” because the entire Darby Bible is corrupted in more ways than one. It is corrupted from start to finish, and this is just one area of complete falsehood. They should be called Darbyites, so people know they are being taught from a different version of the Bible.

I was indoctrinated and brainwashed with these false Darby beliefs by an aggressive religious zealot high school teacher. I know many people will not let go of the idea of the raptured church, and see it as a matter of their own faith. I can give personal testimony to the kind of off-base cult that gives rise to this type of hearsay.

Many people take comfort and encouragement in such teachings, because they have put their hope in escapism. But we have been warned and advised to seek the truth. Do not be deceived. We have been steeped in dread over the “coming tribulation” instead of retaining the hope and knowledge of the reality of our situation. There is only one second coming. Any other teaching is leading people astray while simultaneously weakening or destroying their faith.

Regardless of what we believe, we are approaching end times. Each day is one day closer to the end of this age. One way or another, each day brings us one day closer to the realization we will die. When that happens, we are at the end of our own age. Whether it is from chronic disease, an infection, cancer, old age, an accident, brain bleed, or whatever – we will face death on a personal level unless Christ returns before we die.

What the Bible does say is that when Christ returns, the dead in Christ will rise first, then those who are still alive will be lifted up to meet him in the air as well. How can there be an escape or rescue for the dead? They are no longer facing tribulation or persecution. Therefore the resurrection of the saints is not tied to a post tribulation rapture either.

Obviously the second coming, or return of Christ – is not tied to a prior removal of the believers, or there would be no one left alive on the earth to be caught up to meet Christ when he returns. It will definitely be a joyful occasion, but it is not an escape because we all come back to earth after this happens. Everything will be changed though, from our bodies, to how we live our lives.

For those who choose to believe lies, the Bible tells us God sends strong delusion and gives them over to a reprobate mind. The truth might be a rocky road, where we encounter the equivalent of highwaymen with pistols. But I would rather dodge bullets than be given over to a reprobate mind.   For some of us, cognitive dissonance gives us more of a headache than you can shake a stick at.

Truth is as important as love is. Without it, there is no love. It is as important as life itself. We cannot find our way unless we embrace the truth. We are part of the seed of our heritage. Our place within the lineage and offspring, cannot be taken away from us with lies. No one can “lie away” or take away who we are in the great sea of humanity.

My maternal heritage comes from northern Sweden. As with all nations, the history of Sweden has its own unique culture. Throughout the centuries that have passed, each offspring is part of the kings and kingdoms of their own lineage. Even during our upbringing in small town Alberta, there were also many descendants from Germany, the Ukraine and Poland. People referred to the “old country” when talking about where they came from.

From a familial hereditary perspective, I got the interest in textiles and design from my mother, grandmother, and great grandmother.  Our great grandmother was a professional seamstress in Sweden. All of them worked with textiles, from carding and spinning wool, to knitting, quilt making and sewing. I loved the quilts our grandmother made. They had velvet flowers and satin stems. She made very beautifully designed themed quilts in bright colours with gorgeous fabrics. I remember examining them, petal by petal, the leaves, and tracing each shimmering stem, marvelling at all the fancy needlework she did just to create a border to frame the scene.

In a similar sense, over the years I have met fishermen and sailors whose calling was to be on the water just as their father and grandfather had been. Some things are in our blood, and just keep on with the tradition or the gift.

In many cases, the farm families who had immigrated from Europe, spoke their original languages at home. It was not uncommon for children to start school without knowing English. Our grandmother was in Canada thirty years, and still refused to speak English, although I knew she understood it quite well. When we went to visit them, she cooked Swedish food, which is quite different from the traditional foods from the Ukraine or Poland.

We have long established bloodlines that are carried from one generation to another. The Bible is full of descriptions about who begat who. Is some deluded teacher going to change all that within my own family history? What were his motives? I was not up for adoption, and there was no adoption. Who would even consider such a plot? He has infiltrated and ripped the family apart in the process.

Some of us are from the seed of Christ, therefore the lineage, the offspring, and the descendants were established a long time ago. We cannot be plugged into another ancestry, and I thank God for that. Anyone who thinks they can steal a person, take over their life, and make parental claims – is absolutely nuts. Anyone who supports such a scheme is also crazy.

In my own case, a hyper dispensational high school teacher made bizarre and false claims that he was adopting me. He repeated these lies so often, people began to believe them. In reality, he was obsessed with a teenage girl, and used religion as a cloak to cover his lies. He held to the image of superiority that a “wonderful Christian” like him, would never lie. Yet his lies and corruption led to a lifetime of persecution over my own life.

I can give my own personal testimony on this. To be naive, is to allow a compulsive liar to destroy your life, and your faith for all eternity. Someone should have told him – You cannot take a person out of their own family tree. What kind of gall does it take to even attempt it? I know what family I came from, and I know what family I belong to.

Why I ever had to put up with that bullying abuse is beyond me. People can believe whatever they want, but they have no right to stalk, exploit, and claim ownership of other people through deception and lies. If not for the strange teacher in a small town school, I  would never have known the Exclusive Brethren even existed, yet I got stuck in the mire of a warped obsession, twisted religion, and a colossal abuse of power.

Although we can easily be wrong interpreting the Bible, the biggest mistake we can make is to follow Hollywood movies, Hollywood type televangelists, or false teachers. There are many false teachers that seem to be increasing by the day. We have to seek the truth directly from the Bible for ourselves. No one else can do it for us.

All I can say is that for each of these strange and false beliefs, they did not sound right to begin with. The creepy movie series, and the false rapture teaching – has created more fear-mongering and mysticism than anything else.

People are looking for an easy escape while at the same time looking toward the future with absolute dread. Again, this is the opposite of what the Bible teaches.

We will face tribulation, and many of us have faced a lifetime of tribulation already. It is not sprung upon us in the final seven years of our lives, or in the final seven years of the world. It is a consistent and unavoidable theme throughout the entire Bible and history of the human race.

We can also be sure we will face persecution, possibly with increasing levels of bullying and harassment as time goes on. It is difficult to understand why someone targets us for what seems like no reason at all. They see something within us that they want to destroy.

The only thing Christians will not face, is the wrath of God. We have much to be thankful for in that regard, because we deserve to be punished for all our transgressions too.

The deception, the intensity, and the overall spiritual battle does increase toward the end of the age. We can already see it happening. We know that lawlessness will increase, and that many other things will happen as the events unfold.

However the outstanding message of the Gospel is one of love, endurance, patience, mercy, faith, and hope. Surely it is much wiser to get the truth out of the authentic and original Bible, instead of the crooked path of Darby’s dispensationalism and Hollywood movies.

The Bible does teach that apostasy will be rampant at the end of the age. Dispensationalism is probably in the top five of the greatest deceptions of all time. It is provably a cult, and represents a massive falling away from the original covenant teachings in the Bible.

Can Anyone Know Us Better Than We Know Ourself?

April 4, 2022  | Valerie Hayes  | Health & Wellness, My Story, Thoughts & Ideas, Valerie Hayes, View All Articles & Photos

It appears the rise in technology and artificial intelligence has cultivated a far-fetched notion that through tracking and data mining, they can know us better than we know ourself. Does that seem plausible? The precursor to those statements outlines how to predict human behaviour. In order to control human behaviour, you have to be able to predict it.

Some people do have predictable patterns, and most of us have predictable routines. Do we all search the same topics on the Internet? Do we all use Alexa, Siri, FB, and Twitter? I doubt it. But there are certain predictable things we can observe about our surroundings.

We know that Friday afternoons before a long weekend tend to be busy. If you live on an island, you know when the ferry comes in. When you take public transit, you expect them to show up.

If our medical information gets hacked, we know that whatever is in those files, lab results, ER visits, prescription medications, and other sensitive information is compromised and exposed to God knows who? It makes me have much gratitude for managing to stay away from doctors.

But even if sensitive information is compromised – can they know a person better than they know themselves? In my opinion, they cannot – for many reasons. The main reason is the complexity of the brain, and the efficiency of storing memories and information in the brain. This information gives us cues to adapt our behaviours based on memory.

No one can call up the 80,000 thoughts flitting through the hallways of our brain each day, every day of the year – for a lifetime. Only the individual can be triggered by a smell, a memory, or a song stored in their own brain. No one else can predict that. Even the person for whom the memory was triggered is often surprised at how it surfaced. So how can AI know the nuances or intricacies of what is stored in a person’s memory?

No one can know the depth of another person’s soul. If they think they can predict people based on their Internet searches, medical information, and by monitoring Smart phones – it might turn out to be quite futile. One of the main reasons coding, Internet research, web development, gaming, block chain etc. is growing so fast, is because of open source opportunities. That gives things a scope and a creative realm that cannot be predicted.

The Internet and artificial intelligence contains a percentage of positive and edifying material. Just as it can be used for bad or nefarious reasons, it can be used for whatever reasons. We use it for work, for communicating, doing research, creating content, artistic endeavours, shopping, banking, calculating, navigating, and for all kinds of other things. It is so much easier than going to the library and taking out a bunch of books, then paying the library fines. Same thing as when we used to have to rent movies at the video store.

We can take the good, and find ways to protect ourselves. As far as the medical information is concerned, it is really too bad that privacy and confidentiality is no longer an assurance. I suppose with better encryption and database management, it might improve. But regardless, we should be cautious, and aware of the information that is put on our medical charts. Any information that is false or misleading should be clarified and remedied. This includes misdiagnosis, questionable lab results, or heresy history that might be given by someone with a motive to slander.

As far as predicting human behaviour, or AI knowing us better than we know ourselves – there is no way of doing so because people change. Often people have a change of heart before they have a change of mind. There is a contemplative phase when a person decides to make changes in their life. No one can know what the human mind is contemplating. We only know others based on what they communicate, and how they behave.

Cooking For Better Health – A Healing Paste

April 2, 2022  | Valerie Hayes  | Health & Wellness, My Story, Thoughts & Ideas, Valerie Hayes, View All Articles & Photos

This is just my own experiment, so take it with a grain of salt. In this case, you add a few things other than salt.

Of all the attempts to reduce inflammation and autoimmune reactions, this cooking paste is loaded with immune boosting properties. When the immune system is hyperactive as it is with autoimmune disorders, it means it is out of balance for some unknown reasons.

Up until now, I have never used turmeric much in cooking. I am more familiar with ginger and know it also has many similar benefits as turmeric does. A few months ago I tried taking a teaspoon of grated ginger daily as an anti-inflammatory, but it caused a drop in blood pressure, so I abandoned taking fresh ginger without mixing it with something.

I would not claim to be anti-supplement or anti-traditional medicine. However, in hindsight I wish I had not taken supplements or OTC medications over the years, without giving it a second thought. We should give it more than a second thought. Anything taken habitually can throw our systems off balance. In many cases, medications will cause a rebound effect after a period of time, and do the opposite of what they are intended for.

In addition, many medications require multiple adjustments to the dosage, and can be very difficult to discontinue. There are countless unknown drug interactions, and drugs that interact with certain foods. I will readily admit – I am not onside with Big Pharma pushing more and more drugs on otherwise healthy people. Most of those drugs do not address the underlying cause. They mask the symptoms, which is the last thing we need when our bodies are trying to tell us something is wrong.

Each one of us has a unique reaction to various different medications and supplements. It depends on things like overall nutrition, organ function, weight, gut health, systemic circulation, chronic inflammation, neurochemistry, genetic markers, and so on. Therefore, we should pay careful attention to how our own bodies respond to what we put in it. That way we can remedy what is aggravating existing conditions.

When I look back at people I have known and worked with over the years, we all had some kind of physical weakness. For some it was a predisposition to chronic bladder infections, respiratory infections, or an acidic stomach. For others it was chronic back, hip or knee pain. Different people react to stress in a unique way. The stress of life and all it entails, causes weaknesses within our systems that we have to learn to manage or remedy somehow. If not, they will likely get worse as time goes by.

I think it is best to get nutrients out of a whole food, mostly plant based diet. Just as in learning about the benefits of essential oils, there is also much to be learned when it comes to nutrient dense foods, and various medicinal teas, herbs, and spices.

Since turmeric is so bright and stain inducing, I wear gloves and prepare a small batch to cook with at a time. The paste includes equal amounts of fresh grated ginger and turmeric. Pepper has to be added to increase the bioavailability of the turmeric. The mix also includes crushed garlic, fresh snipped herbs, and a small amount of olive oil and lemon juice.

This paste can be spread over chicken, added to rice dishes, soups and whatever else you decide to try it on. That way the nutrients are cooked with the food, and we get the trace elements and micro nutrients without damaging the balance in our systems, or adding supplements that the kidneys and liver must detoxify.

Of the myriad of remedies I have tried thus far, the best results have come from drinking lemon water each day, and from adding large doses of herbs and spices in food preparation. I noticed a reduction in the inflammation in my eye within a couple of days of using fresh turmeric.

I guess the goal in this crazy corrupt world – is to try our level best to stay healthy and happy. It’s a counter measure. What can possibly be wrong with that?

As far as making a point about how individual taste is part of the nutritional journey, there are many examples. One of the more prevalent bits of health advice recommends taking an ounce of apple cider vinegar mixed with water each day. I tried it but could not stomach it, or stand the smell of it. I also don’t like the concept of drinking vinegar. So my gut instinct told me to avoid drinking vinegar. Yet many people swear by it. Is it any wonder we have to do our own research combined with a little of our own trial and error?

Human beings have much in common, and yet we have many differences in the minute details and functionality in everyday life. Now more than ever, we have to sort through the bombardment of advertising geared to make us reach for those quick fixes and cures.

Our health is not meant to be governed by someone else’s profit motive. But if we do not take charge of our own health, we can fall for just about anything in this day and age of targeted propaganda and advertising.

Repent & Pray For Peace

February 28, 2022  | Valerie Hayes  | Health & Wellness, My Story, Thoughts & Ideas, Valerie Hayes, View All Articles & Photos

If there ever was a time to repent – surely it is now. We are at a loss to understand what is going on in this world. It is a reminder for all of us, to be humbled and repent. Pray for peace, as we have empathy toward those who are facing so much uncertainty and conflict.

What causes people to believe lies, become deluded and develop hardened hearts? I think the answer is that we first must seek, and love the truth. If we are following “to thine own self be true” axiom, we must acknowledge our many faults, misdeeds, foolishness, selfishness, arrogance, harm done toward others, all based on our own myopic views. If we seek discernment, then first we must discern our own shortcomings and repent.

I look back and shudder at some of the things I have said and done over the years. Hindsight lets us see ourselves as others might have. It shows us how we transferred angst and blame onto others unjustly. I know in my own life, there are many, many people I would like to say I am sorry to. When we begin to look at ourselves with truth, we know we need forgiveness and redemption.

Truth teaches us, and in turn, will light our path. More importantly, in truth, we become attached to the foundational cornerstone in Christ, as opposed to the confusing and churning dissonance associated with layer upon layer of lies and falsehood.

We will be protected from developing hardened hearts, if we examine our own hearts and repent with sincerity. We know the fruits of the spirit, and we know peace, love and forgiveness are central to the Gospel of Christ.

We are actually witnessing so much conflict in this world, many wonder if things are rapidly becoming apocalyptic.

The forces in the world right now seem to be surreal or supernatural. Huge protests have arisen in almost every country like a movement of the spirit.

In the midst of massive global civil unrest over covid mandates, Putin decides to invade the Ukraine. Now the focus has suddenly shifted. We have witnessed the dramatic shift, but we do not really understand the dark forces at play. In fact, we are seeing a mixture of truth combined with a mix of fear-mongering sensationalism. Some of the imagery broadcasted on the Ukraine Russian conflict was apparently from 2015. Once again, we cannot rely on MSM to report the truth.

If indeed we are wading into apocalyptic times, the most important and relevant command in the book of Revelation is to repent.

It is not in the nature of psychopaths, or anyone with an over inflated ego, or supreme sense of superiority and invincibility, and persistent arrogance- to repent. They are not accustomed to admitting wrongdoing, since it is an attitude that has served them well thus far. They don’t really get it, because deception has hardened their hearts.

The book of Revelation describes all the methods God uses to try and get even the most evil people to repent. Although the book of Revelation is filled with beasts and visions, it is also repeatedly telling all of mankind to repent.

The end times bring about a persecution and wrath upon Christians by wicked men and Satanic forces. Immoral people eventually face the ultimate wrath of God’s punishment. So it looks like all of us will be on the receiving end of some sort of punishment.

One of the central truths in the book of Revelation is that the wrath of God is upon all who refuse to repent. We have to keep in mind who is in control of the bigger picture.

We pray for peace. Peace of mind, peace in our hearts, and peace that passes all understanding. If we are wise, we will choose to escape a wrath that is beyond understanding, and seek forgiveness and protection instead.

The overall message in the book of Revelation is often obscured through the apocalyptic fear mongering. There is a mixture of all the world’s tribulation spanned out, along with the antichrist, mark of the beast, etc.

But what about the verses that tell us the end of the age will be as in the days of Noah? People were eating, drinking, and celebrating weddings when the flood came.

We tend to think God abhors anger, especially sustained anger, which is true. But he also abhors fear. We are probably warned the most often, to avoid fear and deception – to include deceiving ourselves.

Some of the description of God’s wrath upon those who arrogantly and stubbornly refuse to repent, is truly horrific. I hope I never have to face giant locusts with long hair, human faces, and lion’s teeth! Even if they are symbolic of some other force, the description and destruction is formidable.

The book of Revelation is mostly about revealing Christ. It is meant to show how the greatest battle of all the ages will come to fruition. The ultimate victory is pre-destined. The book of Revelation is a blessing, not a curse.

Drop The Cults – Keep The Culture

January 8, 2022  | Valerie Hayes  | Health & Wellness, My Story, Thoughts & Ideas, Valerie Hayes, View All Articles & Photos

As we wrestle with the bombardment of changing rules, and get plundered and plunged as it is swept along, it’s time to take stock. Drop the cults and keep the culture.

How to identify cult tactics so you don’t get suckered in? They divide and destroy as many close relationships as possible. It is well known that isolation is cruel and has ill effects on people’s well being. Some people can tolerate more isolation than others, but if combined with shame, rejection, and a lack of purpose – it is deadly.

Another key feature is deception. The lies are built from the ground up, yet they have no foundation. They do not stand up to the test of truth, yet they will brazenly hold onto to the lies. The cult has to deceive with success in order to maintain control. So there is constant repetition, and manipulation to keep the charade going.

Cults divide and cause a great deal of conflict among families. It stands to reason these same issues that polarize and divide families, will expand into communities, businesses and politics, if democracy and morality continues to fail us.

Cults will take away your right to live your own life, have free will, or get out of their trap – without facing extreme shunning and punishment. They will stare you in the eye, without blinking, and rob you of who you are.

Cults do not permit open dialogue. They will not be challenged without punishing and shunning their victims. They will not permit the truth to surface, using a plethora of different ploys to maintain the narrative. Those who go along with it are embraced, praised, and rewarded. But dare they step out of line. If a cult hates some of its members – they hate them all. Those they favour are wearing a thin disguise, and must tread softly to avoid being the next target.

Cults are designed to protect and exalt certain individuals or one person at the top of the hierarchy. They rely heavily on false authority, and totalitarian rule. They use fear to destabilize. All things, all thoughts, and all obedience must revolve around the leader. In the case of cult-like corporations, it is the men at the top, the old boy’s club – who expect reverence, loyalty and submission.

On the other hand, true Christianity is open to the scrutiny and questions that test truth, does not fear exposure, but welcomes it, and will not punish people for exercising free will. Cults close the door on all contrary dialogue, and censor or silence their opponents. One of the main reasons they silence and isolate opponents, is because they do not want us talking to other people. The practice of shunning is so that the deflector does not influence anyone else in the cult. It is also a well-known and very painful way to judge and punish people. In the Old Testament if a widow or marginalized person was shunned by a cultish family – it was considered to be a death sentence.

Cults are focused on money, power, and control. They use deception, coercion, and shaming as key tools. The ultimate form of idolatry is to make self into the monument. Too much entitlement causes not only idolatry, but demands that all the wealth, resources, entertainment, protection, elitism, etc. revolves around them. They expect obedience and reverence from lesser beings. They are wolves in sheep’s clothing. I am not sure how they can possibly view themselves as being so wonderful. But, they do.

To make matters worse, authoritarian leaders will force their subordinates into tenuous situations, yet they take no responsibility for them when they falter or fail. Doesn’t it stand to reason that if someone decides to take over your life, they will also take responsibility if it does not turn out well? They force a learned helplessness and then kick the victims to the curb.

Who takes the brunt of personal or psychological injury that is inflicted upon us by powerful people? Doesn’t it also stand to reason that adults make their own decisions, since they must deal with the outcomes of the decisions they make? Who is going to look after all the mistakes the leaders make? You can rest assured they will not look after you. What good is it if you are blinded and in a wheelchair with a feeding tube, to have a failing health care system with nowhere to turn? If you are injured by the state, you will not be taken care of by the state. So how can they force us to to take the risk of being injured, maimed or killed?

The Bible has been altered, twisted, with things added to it, or taken away – or it has been misinterpreted to suit an agenda. This is done in order to give credibility to cults, so they can advance their agenda by adding deception to truth. Why would people think it would be any different when it comes to science? It is not rocket science to skew numbers. White collar crime has been doing it for years.

Culture on the other hand – connects us to our roots. It helps to showcase the labours and talents of people from all over the world. It helps us visually and artistically see and understand each other better. It educates us. It shows us how much common ground we have, yet shines a light on the different gifts, abilities, labours, and patterns that have emerged. It represents the emotional, aesthetic, and day to day aspects of our human heritage.

We grow to love culture and labours of love. Love does not grow out of cults or cultish conduct. Excessive control is a cult tactic. The battle ground therefore – is for free will. Thoughts, words, and wisdom triumphs over totalitarianism, every single time. It may not be civilization that collapses – but rather totalitarianism that is truly more fragile, because history demonstrates that it always collapses no matter where it springs up, or in what era.

Technology cannot usher in or maintain totalitarianism, even though it seems like it could. In my opinion the reason it cannot, is because it is a tool. Viewing it as anything else is foolish. Computers can do things the human mind cannot, as far as computational number crunching is concerned. But there are limits to what it can do, and those limits are structured by the programmers, not the machines.

Complex thought, translations, original work, creative work, intellectual property, innovation, and insight – comes from people, not computers. No matter how brilliant someone thinks they are, another person will come along that can do it better, hence the beauty of open-source. It helps to create a counter-balance when it comes to dominance and control in programming.

Humans were never intended to be subjected to psychological or physical computer programming. Nor were we intended to be the reverse objects of computer design.

We don’t expect the ox to drive the farmer, or the dogs in a dog sled team to be taken over by the alpha male dog, complete with a map and compass. We know the sewing machine does not design and make the dress. These actions are done by whoever is planning the project or the trip. Projects are not initiated or planned by the tools or machines you are using to achieve your goals.

Yes there are some very invasive tracking apps that offer constant surveillance. But we must ask ourselves how sustainable it is to track the activities of millions of people doing mundane everyday things? No matter how controlling you are, do you really care what kind of shoes a person wears, or where they get their morning coffee?

Just as we were born with robust immune systems, we were also born with brains. Computers did not create or give birth to human attributes.

Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West (2022). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) ~ A Truly Brilliant Historical Figure

January 5, 2022  | Valerie Hayes  | Health & Wellness, My Story, Thoughts & Ideas, Valerie Hayes, View All Articles & Photos

When looking at the lives of some of the famous thinkers, writers and philosophers throughout history, Blaise Pascal was clearly a brilliant man. He did not become self-obsessed and insane like Nietzsche did.

Pascal was a French philosopher, mathematician, scientist, inventor, and theologian. He was an early pioneer in game theory, probability, and existentialism.

Although Pascal faced the hardship of losing his mother at the tender age of three, it did not plunge him into a lifetime of abandonment issues. He did suffer chronic ill health, however his work was expansive and prolific regardless.

Pascal’s biography describes his character in the following way: “For Pascal himself – humble yet forceful; fanatical as well as skeptical; mild and empathetic, yet also capable of withering scorn – personified the very “chimera” he famously declared man to be.”

It is interesting to note the dual definitions of chimera. One definition comes from Greek mythology and describes a “fire breathing female monster with a lion’s head, a goat’s body, and the tail of a serpent”. The other definition is ” a thing hoped and wished for, but is illusory and impossible to achieve”.

Since the modern day definition probably did not exist in the 1600’s, I am assuming the chimera he was describing was the former definition, and comes from a spiritual interpretation. It was not likely a description attributed to himself, but rather the general nature of man.

Although several biographies have been written about the life of Pascal, some of which have been hotly contested, including the one written by his own sister, there are certain indisputable facts about his life.

Pascal’s father was a tax lawyer, and the family was upper class or bourgeoisie, therefore Pascal received a very good education. But regardless of the class he was born into, his giftedness in mathematics and physics showed evidence of a keen mind. His intelligence and endless curiosity was considered exceptional in his childhood, and by the time he was thirteen years old he was recognized in the higher intellectual circles.

Personally I think any gifted person will demonstrate their giftedness in childhood. There have been many “brainy” charlatans, who claim to have IQ’s well beyond the norm, when they showed no evidence of it as a child.

At the age of sixteen, Pascal wrote an original essay called “Pascal’s Theorem” describing the special properties of hexagons inscribed within conic sections.

Conversely, Charles Darwin just wanted to run around in the bush, shoot birds and collect beetles. Even when he was on the Voyage of The Beagle, he had no concept of scientific principles. He would throw things (dead birds) in a bag and send them back to England. I know many people would disagree, but I have read his history, his family history, his autobiography, and many other books attributed to him. With each book, and background description, I drew my own conclusions.

Darwin’s father was a doctor, a freemason, and apparently a formidable figure who was very tall and weighed around four hundred pounds. Darwin was expected to go into medical school, but dropped out in the first year. The other occupation he would have been expected to go into was the clergy, which he could not manage either. His early school years did not show that he was a brilliant child. Quite the opposite in fact. In the early chapters of his autobiography, Darwin openly admitted to being prone to spreading falsehoods. In later life, he was very worried about his fate for doing so. He opined that he may be considered to be worse than a murderer.

Pascal’s father was a tax collector, therefore Pascal was well aware of the need for record keeping and calculations. In spite of the politics surrounding him at the time, to include a massive tax revolt, he managed to invent the world’s first calculator using a series of interconnected wheels. It was called “la machine arithmétique, later known as the Pascaline.”

One thing we can take note of throughout history, is that only those with rich, and noble backgrounds rose to fame. You seldom read about a famous person who was born into poverty – or was a serf, pheasant or slave. The law of probability tells us that some of the so-called lower class humans, are born with exceptional minds. But without the wealth or political influence, the lesser beings are lost in time.

The law of probability also tells us that a percentage of women must be born with intellectual giftedness or hereditary high IQ’s, but have very little representation when it comes to historical documentation or fame. It seems the brightest women fell into a forced mediocrity. The women who were exalted, like Florence Nightingale, were puppets taking their orders from powerful men within politically connected families. We can see the same patterns today.

Pascal was plagued by illness from the time he was a small child. Throughout his life, he began to reject the contemporary treatments of blood-letting, enemas and purging, and opted for bed rest and bouillon instead.

On November 23rd 1654, Pascal experienced what he described as “The Night of Fire”, a religious conversion that had such an impact on him, he described it on parchment paper and then had it sewn into his jacket.

“At the top of the sheet stands a cross followed by a few lines establishing the time and date, then the word FEU (fire) in all upper case and centered near the top of the page. Then:

Dieu d’Abraham, Dieu d’Isaac, Dieu de Jacob, non des philosophes et des savants.

Certitude. Certitude. Sentiment. Joie. Paix.

Dieu de Jésus-Christ.

Deum meum et Deum vestrum.

Ton Dieu sera mon Dieu.

(God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob, not of the philosophers and scholars. Certitude, certitude, feeling, joy, peace. God of Jesus Christ. My God and your God. Thy God will be my God.)”

The parchment copy ends with the solemn pledge: “Total submission to Jesus Christ and to my director. Eternally in joy for a day’s trial on earth. I shall not forget thy word.”

His life and many accomplishments are truly remarkable. We should be able to see his testimony, his sincerity, and his ultimate calling. He was so determined to save this triumphant testimony that he preserved it in more than one location, and carried it with him on his person.

Of the many quotes attributed to Blaise Pascal – what wisdom stands out that might apply to our lives today?

“In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don’t.”

“Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it.”

“The least movement is of importance to all nature. The entire ocean is affected by a pebble.”

“Justice and power must be brought together, so that whatever is just may be powerful, and whatever is powerful may be just.”

“People are generally better persuaded by the reasons which they have themselves discovered than by those which have come in to the mind of others.”

“Contradiction is not a sign of falsity, nor the lack of contradiction a sign of truth.”

“Between us and heaven or hell there is only life, which is the frailest thing in the world.”

“Evil is easy, and has infinite forms.”

“Reason commands us far more imperiously than a master; for in disobeying the one we are unfortunate, and in disobeying the other we are fools.”

” If man made himself the first object of study, he would see how incapable he is of going further. How can a part know the whole?”

“We run carelessly to the precipice, after we have put something before us to prevent us seeing it.”

The glimpses we have into the life and thoughts of Blaise Pascal contain wisdom for today as much as they did centuries ago, perhaps even more so – in light of what is happening today.

One of the historical enigmas for me, is that the life expectancy in the days of Noah went from eight hundred years, to what appears to be a life expectancy of about age forty-five during the twelfth to nineteenth centuries. That’s quite a phenomenal drop. I also wonder why the upper class wealthy people who would have had good nutrition, and cleaner more enriching areas to live and work, were so plagued by chronic ill health.

The concept and rise of physicians, or doctors – to care for the ill began during the latter part of the middle ages. Perhaps this became more of a problem, as opposed to an avenue for cure. Having the keys to the opium dens, was especially not directed toward optimal health, even for the bourgeoisie.

Pascal had a commitment first and foremost to God. From that he extrapolated the utmost importance of both truth and thought. He did not fall back on scientific principles or reason. He realized that God is central, salvation comes only through our belief in Christ – and love, including the love of the truth – is the only real hope for humankind.

Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West (2022). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Romance Scam! A Hummingbird Falls For Fake Flowers & A Fake Friend!

December 29, 2021  | Valerie Hayes  | Health & Wellness, My Story, Thoughts & Ideas, Valerie Hayes, View All Articles & Photos

This little bird visited today and stayed for a few photo-ops. Funnily enough, first he was fooled by some fake flowers in a basket. Then fooled again over a metal hummingbird on a trellis above the basket. He let me get quite close to him, but I was afraid he might fly into the living room if I opened the sliding door too wide, so this was the only angle I could get. I was taking product pictures when he stopped by, and happened to see him fly onto the balcony. I had a 50mm fixed lens on the camera. Too bad it wasn’t a macro lens. But with hummingbirds, you don’t usually have much time to change a lens.

He was just three feet away from where I was standing, and did not fly away when I quietly slid the door open. He kept looking up at the metal bird, and opening and closing his pointed little beak, like he was trying to talk to it. He might have been cold too, or maybe it is a mating thing, because he kept preening and puffing out his feathers as well. He stayed much longer than hummingbirds usually do. I wondered if he was hiding out to avoid being attacked by the crows. I don’t recall ever seeing hummingbirds in December on the west coast. Perhaps this little birdie came to give a wee parable or message for the New Year. There is potential within  all of nature – to be deceived. The photo art is a pop art filter cropped from the original.

I just read that the only breed remaining here for the entire winter is called the Anna hummingbird. Apparently there are record numbers of them freezing and injured right now. No wonder this little one was hanging around longer, and maybe not thinking too clearly.

I also read about people warming feeders this time of year, and/or trying to find ways to keep them from freezing. In a previous post I explained why I do not believe in feeding any wildlife, including birds. If the Anna hummingbird routinely sticks around for the winter, they must have the capacity to survive, at least a percentage of them must. This bird did fly away without appearing to be injured. I hope he or she is doing okay.

Photo Art 1930’s Van Gogh Filter Depicting A “Weary Blues” Cafe With Mums

December 5, 2021  | Valerie Hayes  | Health & Wellness, My Story, Thoughts & Ideas, Valerie Hayes, View All Articles & Photos

This is an image of a 1930’s “Hudson’s Bay Soleil Elegante” seal skin hat, with fabric covered wooden beads attached to looped trim encircling the brim. The mums on my balcony are still in bloom, giving the weary blues Internet cafe a little bit of sunshine!

What Does The Book Of Revelation Say About The End Times?

November 27, 2021  | Valerie Hayes  | Health & Wellness, My Story, Thoughts & Ideas, Valerie Hayes, View All Articles & Photos

We are in the midst of apocalyptic theories about the end times, especially in relation to current events with floods, fires and plagues dominating the news every single day. The book of Revelation is one that incites fear – with images of tribulation, the mark of the beast, death, and graphic descriptions of the dreaded antichrist.

However, the final book and chapter of life on earth as we know it, is filled with hope, with mystery, imagery, metaphor, the spiritual realm, drama, and symbology. It is most prone to false teachings, or misinterpretations, which serve to enhance a fictional account of what it all means.

I will freely admit, there are many parts I don’t understand. But I can say what beliefs about end times that I cannot find in the book of Revelation. First and foremost, it is about the fullness of the revelation of Jesus Christ, not specifically about the revelation of a single anti-christ. It describes the ultimate battle between good and evil, to include punishing those who are against Christ, giving them plenty of warnings, and opportunity to repent.

There are many antichrists in this world, both in the unseen spiritual realm, and among people. The battle against evil encompasses all of the evil, to include the false prophet, lawlessness, and the devil himself. The revelation of Christ defines, and eventually demonstrates what is good in this world. The polarized opposite ceases to blend in, until the line of of demarcation, becomes an outright and inevitable challenge. Once you realize the basics, it is easier to understand how things might unfold.

There is no mention of a single antichrist, even though many extrapolate the description of this beast in Revelation as being one person. There is no mention of a pre-tribulation rapture, and prior to the John Darby alterations of the Bible in the mid-eighteen hundreds, there never was a belief in a rapture theory. Be very wary of anything added to, or taken away from the original version of the Bible.

There is nothing to describe a one world government, or one world order. In fact, The Bible specifically says that nation will rise against nation, and there will be war and rumours of war. People will deceive one another at all levels. Those who think they are the smartest and richest, will deceive those they think they can outsmart.

The thing about arrogance, is it creates an invincible perspective – viewing others as being beneath them, and deserving of their mistreatment. They will also strive to dominate and surpass anyone who seems to be above them. They are prone to scheming and creating conglomerates though. Joining forces with the right people increases their power, and is required, in order to achieve the goals they cannot possibly meet otherwise. But who is the top dog of such a system? We don’t have to take too many wild guesses.

If someone has accumulated billions of dollars, they already know wealth does not fill their void. So rather than abandon the concept of power and money based on deception and ruthlessness, they seek more power, dominance and control – like in a big game of Risk. They will continue deceiving and being deceived, unless they genuinely realize the error of their ways and repent.

How does the information found in end times eschatology translate into a one world order? The deception and conflict will increase, not coalesce into some kind of unified conspiracy theory. You don’t get unity out of divisiveness, greed and deception. You get confusion and a revolving door of changing “facts” ad infinitum. Lies change constantly, since they cannot be defended with reasoning or logic. In sharp contrast, truth is constant. There is no honour among thieves. There is no compassion either. Forget the concept of universal human rights. Prior to the end of this age, we get man and the devil’s version of ruling the earth, not God’s version.

During the years I went to church back in the eighties, I listened to many sermons giving dire warnings about the terrible tribulation Christians were about to face. In conjunction with the fear mongering, there would be the false hope of a rapture into the clouds when the going gets really tough. At the time, I thought it was what all Christians believed. After all, it was what I was indoctrinated with by a religious zealot (and very deceptive) teacher when I was in a kid in a small public school in central Alberta. Fundamentalist lies might have been foisted upon many people, but they are far from the truth.

Nothing is as it seems. There are many false teachers. All people should read the Bible for themselves. Do not listen to the many interpretations, including mine – at face value. When you read it for yourself, and then read it again, you will wonder how all the fables and myths arose out of what is meant to reassure us, not terrify us.

To give a summary of what it actually says: It starts out with a warning to the seven churches, in some cases explaining their shortfalls, and in other cases offering praise and encouragement – but in all cases, it is telling them to repent. The churches are the first ones to be told to repent. Following the reprimand to the churches, the punishment for those who do not repent begins.

The seven seals can only be opened by, and delivered to the world by Christ himself. After the churches are admonished, the non-believers and the wicked are told to repent, as the wrath of God begins to unfold. There will be persecution of Christians, as there has been throughout history, but the central message surrounds a series of punishments, in order to encourage all people to repent. Those who refuse to repent, get more severe punishment. If anyone should be terrified, it is the non-believers, especially those who lie with arrogance, and have little regard for the weak and the poor.

The focus on a single anti-christ, followed by a rapture into the clouds is false doctrine. One of the things we must do during these troubling times, is embrace and love the truth. We are specifically told to stop false dealings, and lying amongst ourselves. We are to discern and avoid false teachings, and be truthful in our communications. There is a much greater punishment awaiting those who intentionally deceive. Liars and lying top the list of the seven deadly sins, not the Catholic deadly sins, but the list as spelled out in Proverbs, describing the things God hates the most. In fact, the devil is known as, and described as being “the father of lies.” Arrogance or a “haughty look” is also in the top seven things God hates.

In my opinion, what is referred to as the antichrist in Revelation, is actually a system, not a single person. Some refer to this system as being the Catholic Church, or the USA, or the UN, or some other geographical location or organization. The beasts described in Revelation usually refer to a kingdom or a nation. I believe the verses about this creature, are referring to the hidden system of control and deception. It describes a kingdom of the anti-christ mentality, and organizational structure.

It is an organized and sophisticated system, but may not have a specific public name or known entity, since the nature of deception, is to hide under a cloak of darkness, while trying to appear to be a beacon of light. Most of the intent behind placating speeches, is the polarized opposite of what they are claiming. The cloak of darkness, lawlessness, apostasy, and secrecy – will eventually be revealed for what it is.

The book of Revelation is ultimately about repentance, redemption, and the return of Christ. It is encouraging believers to repent, to be patient, to be watchful – and most of all, to be comforted and reassured. As the time draws near, all people will face tribulation. None of us will escape it. We will be protected though, even through death. And just as there is a description of the mark of the beast, there is also a description of the mark and seal of the Holy Spirit as well. All people will end up with some kind of mark, likely a spiritual identifier, as opposed to an actual literal mark.

And finally, what happens when Christ returns or when we die? The atheist assumes life ends when the body dies. All religious beliefs have some kind of vision of an after life. I used to try to imagine living in heaven for all eternity. I would wonder what we would be doing, since eternity is a very long time. As a kid I wondered if we would be jumping from cloud to cloud, or have various groups or family units floating on their own cloud. Even so – how do we live on vapour?

How many funerals and church services have we listened to that describe a loved one being in heaven? But is it true? I don’t think so. It sounds like people go to a resting place until the return of Christ, which makes more sense. How can people automatically go to heaven prior to judgment day?

Heaven eventually gets brought to the earth. People do not go to heaven when they die, and nor do we go to heaven after Christ returns. Dead people sleep until the return of Christ. It is written – the dead in Christ rise first, then those who are alive are caught up to meet Christ in the air. This is a fulfillment of the Gospel promise of the resurrection of believers. But after all the joy and excitement, everyone settles back down to earth. The rest of the dead, as in the unbelievers, do not live again until after a thousand year reign on earth. The thousand year reign is under the rule of Christ, and all the believers throughout history will be on the earth.

This is consistent with the verses, and the images of swords being turned into ploughshares. The earth will have a focus on love for one another, agriculture, music, liberty, nourishment, truth, joy, praise, learning, exploring, gardening, and preparation for the great day of judgment. There will be no sickness and no fear.

There will be no more deception or violence. Of all the evil to be overcome in this world, the greatest gift of all, is knowing death will be overcome, once and for all. It is so much easier to imagine what we will be doing, when we realize we will not be floating on a cloud somewhere for all eternity.

If you don’t believe me, recite the Lord’s Prayer, because it tells us “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” For believers, the earth does not belong to anyone but God. We already know who is going to win the great and final battle.

Yes there are earthlings who believe they can get away with taking over and dominating the world, using deception, and abuse of power to make merchandise out of people. They actually believe money gives them a stake or a share in the all encompassing power of the global elite. The bigger question is, will they succeed?

Regardless of what you believe, even if you mock Christianity, and believe in the Big Bang theory. Imagine what it will be like for those who reject God until the bitter end? There will be a regrettable realization, knowing they squandered their own lives, in favour of deception and self exaltation. They are exchanging seventy or eighty years on a corrupt earth, for an eternity on a peaceful and joyful earth. Does it show us how justice might prevail? Belief is based on free will and faith. No one is forced to believe.

It is a sobering thought to acknowledge a hundred billion or more people have already died since the beginning of mankind. Where are all those people? What is their ultimate fate? Though we live and walk on this earth for now, clearly it is temporary. We cannot see eternity because our beliefs are based on faith, which is unseen.

We are warned many times throughout the Bible not to be deceived. Don’t assume all people who call themselves Christians are telling the truth. Look it up and read it for yourself. Some people will say money is the root of all evil, but what it really says is “the love of money is the root of all evil,” which makes more sense. Things are quite consistent in the Bible, making it a very stabilizing influence.

Of all things I don’t understand and would like to know, is why Eve was blamed for eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, when she was supposed to be submissive, and Adam was supposed to be the leader? Shouldn’t he have said “no way”? I suppose in many ways, it does demonstrate how people are inclined to be deceived, or talked into things against their better judgement. Once a deception is acted upon, it can change the course of many lives. The choice made by Adam and Eve, changed the course for all humankind.

If we sincerely seek the truth, we will eventually find the liberty we so desperately want. In my humble opinion – embracing truth, is the only way out of this mess.

On a more positive note, one of the most beautiful passages in the Bible describes the tree of life being here on earth once the kingdom of heaven is here. The tree of life has twelve fruits, with a different one ripening every month of the year. The leaves on the tree of life are for the healing of the nations.

Tips To Help You Stay Out Of The Hospital

October 12, 2021  | Valerie Hayes  | Health & Wellness, My Story, Thoughts & Ideas, Valerie Hayes, View All Articles & Photos

The old adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” has always been pretty good advice. Prevention is all about staying healthy, in particular having a healthy diet, combined with fresh air and exercise. We all know the drill.

We all get sick from time to time regardless. As we age, the chronic diseases, cancers, heart disease, stroke, and accidents top the list for what could put us in the hospital (aside from covid, flus, and various other respiratory infections).

We simply do not have any guarantees in life. I might not be here tomorrow for all I know. I have managed to stay away from doctors and hospitals for the most part, with the exception of working in hospitals. As things unfold with covid, and health care becomes less reliable, I am more determined than ever to steer clear.

If I fail in my quest to stay alive and drop dead, there might be some finger pointing, and dire warnings “See I told you so”. Maybe I will plan to wear a pink sequinned mini skirt to my own funeral (very bad) so the tongue-wagging could have some bling in the orbits of the obits. What a place to end up when the party is over! Notice how older people take very few selfies? They add at least seven years to your life!

One of the things I cannot comprehend surrounding privacy and confidentiality in health care, is why they allow media into the ICU’s now, to take pictures of people who are critically ill, or on their death beds. Especially when you consider they will not even allow family to visit. Are all those cameras, tripods, and lenses sterile or even clean? Where else have they been?

I really do not think anyone should consent to that kind of macabre voyeurism. We are not getting out of this world alive, and we certainly don’t need to be used as covid mascots when we are at our most vulnerable. Those ICU pictures published in the newspapers, are intended to scare people into compliance, when no one knows the history or various other factors that put them in ICU.

People ended up on ventilators in ICU long before covid came along, yet we never allowed media into a hospital room. Now if you end up in ICU, it’s a reality TV show with a biased slant, at a time when you have no hope of defending yourself or your reputation. Vanity aside, privacy in health care is being eroded faster than an unstable embankment, without any roots to hold it in place.

I would far rather go out of this world dressed up, than tied and bound up in tubes on a ventilator, at the mercy of mobile hazmat suits, with people you could never recognize outside the place. So when people say, would you forgo medical care if you need the ICU? I always think – Sure I would. Faith and fate are part of life. Give it your best shot, and then fall out of the tree. Nature is what it is.

It has come to the point where it is simply safer to stay away from doctors and hospitals if at all possible. They are understaffed and overwhelmed as it is, and things appear to be getting worse. They don’t want us there.

The chances of medication errors, diagnostic errors, and a lack of advocacy – makes hospitals increasingly formidable. There are many good people who work in hospitals, but inadequate staffing levels can lead to inhumane treatment. Plus people are under a great deal of stress right now. Many people who work in hospitals have strong opinions about what is happening, yet they are not free to speak what they believe. The idea of facing the financial crisis that comes with loss of income, or worse yet the license to practice your profession, for people in mid career with families to support – is a huge stressor. The strong differences of opinion cause conflicts, mistrust, and instability in the workplace. I am so glad to be out of it.

Hospitals do have a fair bit of drama, and each experience is unique. For example, if a person is post op with a big abdominal surgery, has had the catheter removed, and cannot urinate – they will get a full bladder pressing on a fresh incision, and be in a great deal of pain. If they let the nurse know they are in extreme pain, and she does not palpate or notice the distended bladder, she might give sedation without alleviating the cause. She might not get back to the patient for another two or three hours. It is a very long time to be in that much pain, steadily increasing, as the IV is running, and the bladder becomes fuller.

The same thing can happen if there is internal bleeding, or a big clot pressing on the incision or other organs. The nurse may be inclined to give more sedation without recognizing the post op complication for several hours. Oftentimes it is a family member who acts as a patient advocate, and will seek help when they see something is not going well.

But if family is not allowed to visit, the person has no advocate. People can quickly become too weak to ring a call bell, especially if there is a post-op bleed. I truly wish there was a way to maintain a support person as a patient advocate, for every person who lands up in the hospital. From a staffing perspective, it is very helpful to have someone at the bedside who can give sips of water, adjust pillows, make sure the person is rousable, etc. Most nurses are not intentionally neglecting patients. It’s just too busy sometimes.

When a person lands up in ER, or is admitted to the ward, the treatment is in the luck of the draw. You might go in during a quiet period and get treated quite well. You might happen to get sick when a really good team of doctors and nurses are working. Or you may get a dud for a doctor, and nurses who are burnt out and beyond caring. The consistency of care is compromised by an overworked system.

Accidents and the resulting traumas, make up a percentage of tragic hospital admissions. In addition to car accidents, this includes falls within and around your own home. If you are over fifty and fracture your hip, the chances of dying within a year is very high. Falls can lead to brain injuries, and/or lifelong disabilities.

Therefore, assess and minimize your chances of getting injured before taking any risk. When indoors, use a stable two or three step ladder with an arched handle to get things out of upper cupboards. Never grab a bar stool or some other unstable piece of furniture to stand on, even for a minute. The same applies to all ladder use, inside or out. Always hold railings on stair cases. Use proper body alignment when lifting things.

For every project, create a safety filter, whether it is chopping vegetables, cutting frozen tuna, fixing things, using glues and chemicals, decorating, painting, gardening, lifting, and loading things. The notion of physical invincibility starts to wane at about age fifty five. If you add insult to injury, it hampers healing, and could lead to chronic pain, arthritis, and dependency on pain medications.

All injuries, like illnesses, need rest and healing therapies. Massage, water exercises, stretching, elevating, and application of warmth – will aid healing. Whether injured or ill, always keep your circulation flowing by moving around, changing position, deep breathing, rotating your ankles, tightening up your calf muscles, and stretching. Many people will develop pneumonia, just from not moving enough. Moving also helps keep the circulation flowing, which is especially important to prevent blood clots from developing in the lower legs.

We should not blame ourselves if we do get sick or injured. It’s bad enough to have to deal with a health crisis, without beating ourselves up even more. But even so, it is wise to do an objective evaluation of the cause, to help us recover, heal, steadily improve, and then make the necessary changes to boost our overall health.

To take responsibility for our own health, we have to gain some confidence and basic knowledge. One of the best ways to gain confidence is to overcome the fear of death. If we are living in fear, we are easy to manipulate and control. If we go for every pre-screening option available, we are bound to get diagnosed with something. Once that happens, it is much more difficult to back out of the treatment plan laid out for you. It is the same with prescription drugs. If you go to a doctor with any problem at all, you are likely to get a prescription of some sort.

I believe we all get inflammation, cancers, infections, and autoimmune diseases of varying degrees, sooner or later. Wellness is a lifelong journey, and many times, it is an uphill battle. A battle of self-discipline, will power, getting a proper balance in life, managing stress, getting enough sleep, solving problems, overcoming childhood trauma, addictions, and so on.

Years ago I was quite taken by a nutrition based self-help book about emotionally induced illnesses. The author claimed 80% of illnesses are emotional in origin. It seems excessive, but at the same time quite believable. During the years I worked as an RN, I could certainly see plenty of evidence to support those claims. Almost all frequent flyers presenting in ER departments are riddled with emotional pain, addiction, and an over arching physical complaint. Being referred to as a frequent flyer was a negative thing, with the undercurrent of what was then termed as “drug seeking behaviours”.

It is not simply a matter of thinking positive, although a decision to be happy, with an optimistic outlook, can help a great deal. You cannot stay positive if you have constant struggles, and never-ending problems to deal with though. So the key is to do what you can each day to solve the problems, in bite size pieces. Once you outline what you can do each day, then the problems can be broken down, without casting a complete shadow over all the positive things in life. If you have a hundred pounds to lose, you cannot lose it overnight anyway. It has to be a day by day, and step by step action plan.

In many cases we land up in a cycle of some sort. If it is negative and swings to the extremes, it means there are patterns to break and restructure. We have to ask ourselves what we might be doing to contribute to our own bad luck or instability.

Sometimes it is a matter of “to thine own self be true” but you end up getting punished for the decision. Other times, it is a pattern, a coping mechanism from another era. Sometimes it is interlocked with a co-dependant or destructive relationship. It is hard to be objective when you are in the thick of it. You have to get free first.

In a similar way, if you have a raging addiction, it will not be cured in a day. It takes abstinence, followed by a day to day plan with the objective to get feeling better. All addiction, depression, poor diets, chronic illness, etc. require a dedication to improve energy, stability and vitality. The dopamine levels, serotonin levels, gut biome, and methods of stress management must be sorted out. For some, healthy living has been fairly easy to make into a lifelong pattern. For countless others though, optimal wellness is burdened with, or snuffed out by emotional and psychological baggage.

Over the years, I will readily admit my own shortcomings in handling emotional stress in a healthy way. I allowed coping mechanisms from early childhood to rule. In hindsight, I wish I would have known then, what I know now. When things go wrong with our health, we feel awful. We don’t have the energy to get our work done. It is difficult to feel happy and optimistic while feeling physically ill. In a similar sense, it is difficult to feel physically well, if we are emotionally stressed, downtrodden, or over burdened, and without the resources to deal with things.

One of the core values I have developed, is to avoid most medications, non-herbal drugs, and alcohol. They might be needed for a brief period, but dependency on medications or chemical mood elevators, means masking symptoms, and creating a roller coaster of mood instability. Eventually the (self) medications do not work as well, or else they cause intolerable and cumulative side effects. Alcohol and many prescription medications are addictive, and can cause severe withdrawal when stopped suddenly. Benzodiazepines require a very careful tapering, which can take many months.

The main objective is to stay stable, regardless of what is going on around you. This means having surety in your decision making abilities, forgiving your own mistakes, and doing your best each day. Keep stable routines, stable diet, stable home life, and keep working out the priorities and details. If there are major changes, don’t add more, just deal with what is tangible. Any time something is threatening to spiral, pull it back to the baseline.

As far as physical health is concerned, the principles are similar. Pay attention. When there is a problem developing, evaluate it, research it, and trust your intuition. If you feel unwell, often rest is the antidote. Some people panic if they see a tablespoon of blood. Apply pressure. If you have an arterial bleed, or an injury that won’t stop bleeding, you do need medical attention. In such a case, there will be a significant amount of blood. Some things do require a 911 call, but often people tend to over react.

Many people get scared if they get short of breath, or if they get a positive mammogram result, or told they “might have this or that”. Ask yourself how you feel, what is different, when did it start, what might the cause be? No one knows your medical history better than you do. It helps to become dispassionate for periods of time, while we make an assessment, as it increases objectivity and rational thought.

From my own perspective and experience, diet, exercise and adequate sleep, make up the basics of maintaining health. If you feel ill, it means you need rest and some early therapies. Things that are therapeutic, and contribute to helping the body heal, are steeped in old fashioned remedies. Therapies are basically comfort measures with healing benefits.

Yes home made chicken soup and lots of clear fluids, in between resting, will help you get back on your feet in a few days if you catch a cold. It is worthwhile to study up on the use of essential oils. They have many well documented health benefits, and contribute to a sense of well-being. Most of them have antimicrobial and anti fungal properties as well. Aromatherapy is pleasant, and full of olfactory flavour. You do get your favourites among them. My favourites are rose, jasmine, cypress, thyme, marjoram, and juniper. Some people love the mints, and others prefer the citrus essential oils. Once you get into it, there is an awesome range to choose from, and become familiar with.

You have to research the usages, carrier oils, and dosages of essential oils carefully though, especially if you choose to use them medicinally. It is fine to use them in aromatherapy or the bath without concerns. But anything taken internally, or even put onto the skin, must be done with caution. Some of them cannot be taken internally at all. Others can be taken in very small amounts depending on the concentration.

It is wise to keep in mind, there are many healthy and natural remedies, including the overuse of some foods and spices that can be toxic. Some food examples with potential for toxicity are cinnamon, Brazil nuts, nutmeg, green potatoes, and large amounts of leafy greens.

Essential oils, nutraceuticals, and supplements must be evaluated and researched based on what ailment they are directed at, before using them medicinally. They need to be managed as carefully as any other kind of medication. You have to include them in a list of medications you are taking if you do end up in the hospital. Some of them can lead to bleeding disorders, or can react with other medications. Steroids and anticoagulants are especially high risk for serious drug interactions when taken in conjunction with certain herbs or supplements.

I was surprised to learn the upper limit on cinnamon is a teaspoon a day, and Brazil nuts, must be limited to less than five nuts a day. Normally a person could not consume too many leafy greens, since you would have to eat a very large volume for it to be toxic. But now with the popularity of smoothies, a person could get toxicity, if they consume too much spinach and kale, if they assume the more you consume, the better. Moderation is always the key.

I do see many health related YouTube videos telling people they need multiple supplements and trace minerals, often promoting very obscure supplements. Be very wary of adding large amounts of trace minerals, when we are only meant to have tiny amounts, not overkill. We get most of those beneficial trace minerals from a healthy diet. Even if you take supplements that the body can detoxify and excrete, this places an excessive burden on the liver and kidneys. If four or five Brazil nuts has too much selenium, what happens if selenium is packed into a supplement you do not even need?

Clearly, we need to keep our priorities straight. One of the things I noted when working for a few years in large long term care facilities, is that you would often see people who were cognitively intact, but immobile due to knee, back or hip injuries. Another group of them were on the dementia wards, and would have a disproportionate number of very active people. They could walk all day, yet could not remember their name.

One key question to ask ourselves is why we seek a diagnosis for every ailment? We want someone else to fix us. We want a label put onto our ails, so we can find a treatment? Or find a reason for feeling unwell. We have been indoctrinated into believing that we must get an early diagnosis or die. For those with anxiety or fear of getting cancer or diabetes, then by all means seek diagnosis and treatment. Many people credit an early diagnosis with survival. But I think we have become too dependent on quick fixes. If something took years to develop, there is probably not a quick fix.

When I did diabetic teaching for awhile, I had to follow a certain accepted protocol. This involved telling people to test their blood sugars four times a day, and use sugar substitutes like Splenda. The diabetic teaching office would receive boxes and boxes full of free Splenda to hand out, along with the free blood glucometers. One thing most diabetic teaching nurses will notice, is there is a strong correlation between diabetes and depression. I felt like telling them not to check their blood sugars so often.

Why? Because if you are not going to do anything different, why depress yourself over it? It’s like telling an alcoholic to measure their blood alcohol levels when they are drinking. Obviously they are going to be elevated. I think it is better advice to tell people to outline some changes, do them daily, and then check their blood sugars to see if the results are better. Maybe things have progressed since I did the diabetic teaching. I hope so, because there were so many facets of it that I found to be counter intuitive.

Perhaps it is better to make a game plan. What will I do if I get sick? Stay home of course, especially if it is a cold, flu, or communicable disease. Drink plenty of clear fluids, eat soup, and rest. Other self treatments at home can include fasting and hydrotherapy.

As we go forward in our technology based world, we are simultaneously going backward in health care. It makes me think we might return to the back-on-the-farm treatments with mustard plaster compresses, and thermofuge poultices. Human beings are amazingly resilient. There is no way of knowing why some are more resilient than others.

As far as making the grand exit in a pink miniskirt, there is really no chance of that anymore. If I had a choice in the exit costume, I would substitute the sequins for a calf length green silk tea dress with a full skirt. Then spin off into the sky, and blend in with the aurora borealis. But alas, little does it matter what we are wearing when we draw our last breath on this earth. When we leave our bodies, we not only leave our clothes behind like in the movies, but the body itself will be abandoned, clothes and all. At least that’s how I see it.

When people over a hundred years old are asked to share their secrets of longevity, the answers are widely varied. Some smoked and ate ice cream every day, while others ate spinach, and walked five miles a day. But the one common denominator, is most of them are quite cheerful and grateful. That’s probably the crux of it. So cheer up, and have some ice cream with that spinach!

Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West (2021). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

How The Beaten Down Will One Day Say “We Won”

July 9, 2021  | Valerie Hayes  | Health & Wellness, My Story, Thoughts & Ideas, Valerie Hayes, View All Articles & Photos

Years ago I watched a poignant show about the story of one young man’s life. He and his younger sister were homeless and destitute during the depression era in some dust bowl, remote, flat and forsaken, North American prairie location. He was about seventeen and his younger sister was eleven.

They came upon a small country store owned and run by an elderly man. The young boy went into the store, looking around in awe at all the food on the shelves. He asked about the possibility of getting a job. His sister waited outside in the scrub brush about forty yards away.

The elderly shopkeeper was not kind to him at all. He harshly told him he was nothing but dirty trash. He ordered him out, and told him not to come around his store or property ever again. To place emphasis on the point he was making, he turned around to pick up his rifle.

When he turned his back to get the gun, he left the cash register open. The desperate young boy saw the cash in the open drawer. He impulsively grabbed a five dollar bill and ran, breathlessly and excitedly, telling his sister to run too.

The elderly man had zero compassion for the young boy and his sister. He called the authorities, and both the boy and his sister were promptly caught. The boy was given a harsh prison sentence. His sister was sent to some kind of religious orphanage. They were never allowed to contact each other.

During the next several years, one tortuous thing after another happened to him. He was disabled mentally and physically, due to the torture and beatings he endured in various facilities. They imprisoned him for years over the original theft. It was like he was a throwaway, without family or any resources – so he was stuck there. The more he got beat, the more disabled he became. He was labelled as a nutter, drooler, retard, crazy etc.

Finally, there was a lawyer who learned about his history. The little sister grew up, and started looking for her older brother, thinking he must be out of prison after all those years. She contacted a lawyer who was mortified over the story of his life, and his fate. She set out to make compassionate efforts to help him.

The battle for his release went on and on. It took about two years for the lawyer to even manage to improve his conditions in prison while they waited. He was picked on just for the fun of it.

Finally, there was a letter from the courts to pardon him for the original theft. He was overjoyed. It was the most incredible victory he had ever known.

Sadly, he never did make it out of prison. He was so physically weak, vulnerable, had a speech disorder from blunt force trauma to his head, and was targeted by the prison bully one last time. He had no way of defending himself against such attacks. The final attack occurred shortly before his release date.

He was found face down in the dirt outside in the prison yard. He was already dead when they rolled him over. But before he died, as he lay there bleeding, he scratched his final message in the dirt beneath him. It said “We Won”.

When people are downtrodden and marginalized to the point of no return – this is one of the most powerful messages I have ever heard. He was absolutely right – in more ways than one!

Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West (2021). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Self Care ~ Some Tips For Surviving A Heat Wave

July 3, 2021  | Valerie Hayes  | Health & Wellness, My Story, Thoughts & Ideas, Valerie Hayes, View All Articles & Photos

Given the weather conditions we just experienced, and the number of fatalities during the heat wave, we have to prepare ourselves, especially those who live alone in condos without air conditioning.

In my opinion, any time we are ill or faced with something that can rapidly make us ill, hydration is critical. One of the most important things to maintain and be aware of is fluid balance. You have to keep track of your intake and output. If you cannot do that, you need someone to look in on you. You need to drink twice as much water or more, and if you are not voiding clear straw coloured urine, you need to drink more water.

If the fluid balance is not properly maintained, you become dehydrated very quickly. The blood becomes sluggish and the kidneys can shut down. The electrolytes can get out of balance, which can affect the organs, and chance of survival. Dehydration also increases the risk of stroke and heart attack. The skin is actually the bodies largest organ. As we age, we may not perspire as much or as readily, but even so, if well hydrated, we have a much better chance of getting through it.

Signs of dehydration are seen in a reduction of skin turgor, but that is more difficult to assess in the frail elderly. Sunken eyes, dry mouth, very dark coloured urine, headache, and reduced alertness, are all discernible signs of dehydration. Also if a person normally has visible and palpable veins in their hands and forearms, if there is a change or flatness in those veins, it can signal dehydration. The minimal safe urinary output is 30ml per hour, and may vary if you are on diuretics or certain other medications. It might be a good idea to discuss with your doctor, whether or not certain meds should be stopped or withheld during a heat wave.

Do not make the mistake of over hydration by drinking water non-stop. Although it is uncommon to do so, some people might make the mistake of going overboard, which can also upset the electrolytes. Again, it is all about maintaining the proper intake and output. If a person is acutely ill and in hospital, accurate intake-output records are considered to be very important. We should keep that in mind, in order to care for ourselves and others, and recognize early signs of trouble. Ideally, you want to measure and match the intake with the output. No one should die simply because they need a bolus of fluids.

If faced with vomiting or diarrhea, you will need IV fluids. If you vomit once, and can keep sipping and keep it down, you are probably ok. But if you keep vomiting, it is serious. Usually you have to go to a hospital for IV fluids in that case. Hopefully this heat wave will cause the health care system to develop travelling IV teams. They could send out more home care nurses who can start IV’s, and put in a saline lock, which is a small IV cathlon in the vein. With the cathlon in the vein, you can get a bolus of fluids. The cathlon is left taped in place, until you are drinking well. If you start vomiting in a heat wave, you need medical attention very quickly.

Wear loose fitting light clothing, made of natural fibres, so the skin is free to perspire. Cotton, linen, and silk are best in my opinion. As much skin surface as possible needs to be free to breathe, and perspire.

There is probably no better time to learn about, and appreciate your skin. It truly is a miracle organ, and can save your life. In 2017 when I had a full blown episode of anaphylaxis in the middle of the night, I had third spaced so much fluid within a short time, I did not have enough blood pressure to stand up without blacking out. In the end, every pore on the surface of my skin opened and poured out that toxic fluid. I was quite amazed at how much the skin can contribute to saving our lives.

For this reason it might be comforting to massage the skin with coconut oil infused with essential oils. Many essential oils have healing, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-inflammatory properties. Even if you don’t believe they are medicinal, they do offer comfort in the bath, or for massage. Just be cautious not to get them near your eyes, or full strength on the skin. They need carrier oils, or else to be infused into the air. I tend to use them more on the skin than in the air. The fragrances are really just awesome. Many are woodsy and earthy smelling enough, to feel like you are going camping.

Staying out of direct sunlight is an obvious bit of advice. If you do need to go out in the sun, keep it to five or ten minutes. Keeping a bath tub full of cool water or quick showers will temporarily cool you down. You can also place a fan behind a basin of ice and sit in front of it. Also ice packs, cold compresses, and anything that cools you down.

Conserve energy. If there is a heat wave coming, get the groceries and prepare some food ahead of time so you don’t have to cook. If you have to exert yourself, keep it brief and rest often. Do not treat it like a normal day. The day before it started, I made a big pot of vegetable chicken soup with lots of shiitake mushrooms, and froze half of it for later. It was a great staple during the heat wave and helped to maintain nutrition. We lose our appetite when it is hot, but at the same time, it is not the optimal time to fast, since our body needs less food, but still needs good nutrients. Watermelon, and all fruits are good to snack on.

Rest frequently, but don’t stay completely still for long periods. Walk around a bit, stretch, tighten your leg muscles to help venous return, and do things here and there that test your memory, like login to accounts and remember passwords, bank numbers etc. That way you can test yourself to make sure you are staying cognitively with it.

Reduce any additional stressors that might be around you – if you can. The heat stress on the body is enough to deal with. Avoid arguments, loud noise, and set aside anything you are worried about. Deep breathing, aroma therapy, flowers…are all good. You have to keep your flowers alive too! Even listening to the sound of flowing water is helpful. They have all kinds of youtube videos with soothing sounds, like waves lapping on the beach, or the sound of rain, which can be a nice diversion. Sounds of water are actually probably really good for the mental health during a heat wave. Water is the antidote. Drink it, douse yourself with it, and listen to it.

Shade, shutter and siesta like they do in places like Belize, Greece, and other very hot countries. They close all blinds at around noon, and all is quiet for several hours. People do their work and errands in the morning, and end up eating late in the evening.

Like all conditions in life, we need water, food and shelter as priorities. Importantly, there are some key things to avoid:

Don’t go anywhere in the wilderness where you risk the possibility of breaking down, getting stuck, running out of gas, or getting heat stroke trying to walk out. Like in a blizzard, hunker down in a safe place, and stay put.

Don’t ingest anything that clouds your judgment – to include pain pills, sleeping pills, or alcohol. If you do take these things, make sure you set timers to wake yourself up to drink water, and stay oriented. Maintain contact with someone who can check in on you.

Avoid processed foods high in salt since they are more likely to cause fluid retention. Elevate your legs and check your feet for edema, especially pitting edema. Edema is most often seen in the feet, and signals fluid retention. It is common for pregnant women to develop edema of the feet. Many older people also get some edema during periods of heat, inactivity, or long periods on their feet. Pitting edema is when you push the skin around your feet and the indentation stays.

Most often people are advised to elevate your lower legs, don’t cross your legs, and do not wear constrictive socks or clothing. But if the swelling is accompanied with shortness of breath, or becomes excessive, it can signal congestive heart failure. It is probably a good idea to check your own pulse several times a day. If it is weak, thready, or irregular – especially if combined with weakness, dizziness, shortness of breath, or chest pain – it means you need medical attention.

Avoid the higher risk of falls. The heat tends to throw us off balance, or increase postural hypotension, which is a drop in blood pressure, leading to dizziness when you stand up. Older people should sit at the side of the bed for a couple minutes before standing up. If you are prone to postural hypotension, or naturally have a low blood pressure, give yourself time to adjust when you stand up, before walking. Also avoid climbing on ladders, stools, etc. Be extra vigilant about the increased risk of falls due to dizziness, misjudgement, fatigue, a drop in blood pressure, etc.

Keep a phone, or a fitbit watch, or panic button with you at all times if you are in poor health, ill, or getting sicker. Once you fall, if you are alone and cannot get up, you could lay there for hours, if you have no way of calling for help. If you do feel very faint, the best thing to do is sit down, and get your head down, below the level of your heart. That way you can stay conscious and think for a minute. If you feel very faint, and have to walk to get to the phone or door, make sure to avoid cracking your head on a counter, or hard object if you do fall. Keep your centre of gravity low, in case you black out.

During the anaphylaxis experience, I did collapse on the floor trying to get to the phone. But I knew that if I stayed flat on the floor, I would probably go unconscious, convulse and die. So the only way I could stay conscious was to get up, get seated and get my head down. It made me realize why so many people who are in respiratory distress struggle to sit up. I had to sit up, yet I could not sit upright for more than a few seconds without blacking out. And I couldn’t really get a breath without leaning forward a certain way. The position was a critical factor in that case, and probably varies, depending on what the cause of emergency is. One bonus thing about that whole event, was it took away my fear of death – completely.

It was such a close call, I accepted death, and will never forget the drama of going through that alone. It was like going down in your own private airplane crash. I could not get to a phone and even if I could have, my hands were swollen like baseball mitts. I could not do anything but try to get each breath and stay conscious. There was no way I could speak, use a phone, or walk.

Other ideas like taking a baby aspirin a day, or loofah scrubs to help your skin function more efficiently, are things to consider. Others might put some fresh sheets in the freezer for awhile before going to bed. Anything for some relief! I am sure people came up with all kinds of innovative ideas to stay cool, so this bit of advice is just a drop in the bucket, so to speak.

This heat wave has caused a staggering loss of life. The situation for the people in the small town of Lytton is so close to us, yet almost impossible to fathom having to flee like that on a moment’s notice. It must have been terrifying. I hope they can account for all people soon, as it must be agony for those who do not know where their loved ones are.

Whether or not we believe climate change is man made or not, we are facing drought and wild fires in today’s reality. More than anything – we need to focus on water. Just like we had to drink water to cool and replenish our bodies during the heat wave to get through it, the earth needs water, and needs to focus on water, as a number one priority. Storing water, conserving water, creating energy with water, distribution of water, recycling water, heating with water, cooling with water, and irrigating with water. Our attention should be turning to water, in every innovative and imaginable way possible.

It sure seems to have been a fiery time frame – almost like, okay here we go with a bigger emergency than ever. After all the covid fears, this does seem more catastrophic and perilous. It sure makes us wonder – what is next?

Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West (2021). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.