Homeopathy, the medicine my Cat taught me.

My cat Bailey was sent home to teach me about Homeopathy and with that came the lessons of patience, persistance and never ending love.  It was October 2006 and a crisp, fall day.  I had several pies in the works, apple and pumpkin and right in the middle of my pie baking session I decided I was going to bring the a new cat home.  I had hemmed and hawed about this decision over the last few weeks after seeing the cat at PetSmart. 

I already had two cats who were about 5 years apart in age and I really felt that the younger one, Ben needed a playmate.  So, with pies ready to be cooked  on the counter, I called up my girlfriend and said "hey, want to go get a kitten with me?"  She thought I was now going to be officially labeled a "Cat Lady" with three cats, but off we went to the pet store.

He was such a little go-getter, running around and playful.  I thought he would be perfect for my little boy Benjamin.  Excitedly, I told the women that I would take the cat and it was then that she told me, he came with a sister.  Ok, I came for one cat, not two!  But what could I do?  I wouldn't dare split them apart, they were family!  Tenth Chance Shelter was working with PetSmart to adopt the stray kittens they had found.  I couldn't say no to animals who had no home, so off we went, Kit and Kat with their adoption papers were now offically a part of my family and I would most definitely be called the crazy cat lady with four cats.

They were so adorable, little balls of black fur, they looked like they were related to Ben who also was all black.  That certainly wasn't intentional on my part to have three black cats but here we were.

Not minutes into the drive home, sneezes were being heard from the back seat of the car. Ok, maybe they had an itch or something.  We stopped for some cat food and other supplies and I decided to check in on the cats just to make sure they were ok.  Well, the one who was sneezing had discharge coming from his eyes and didn't look all that good.  Today, I can tell you it was Bailey.  I don't remember now who was Kit and who was Kat.  Thank god I changed their names to Bailey and Bella.

I got the cats home and made them comfortable in their own room.  Bailey looked like he didn't feel well and continued to sneeze. It was a saturday night, so no vets were open except the emergency clinic.  As I finished up the top crusts of the pies and slid them into the oven, the house began to smell like apples and pumpkin, the smells of autumn.

I checked in with the kittens every half hour, Bailey slept and raised his head every time I would come in the room but he still wasn't the rambunctuous cat that I had seen days before. I decided to call the emergency clinic at 10pm, as I was getting worried about him.  I knew that cats could die from respiratory illnesses if you didn't address them right away.  The clinic told me to watch him and if I felt he was getting worse, to bring him in.  They thought he would be alright until Monday. I wasn't so sure about that.

The night progressed with all the deliciousness of the pie smells and a contented household full of four furry friends settling in for the night.  I must of slept for all of an hour and just couldn't help myself.  I put on my robe and checked on Bailey at midnight.  His eye discharge was now getting worse and he wouldn't even lift his head off the bed.  Time to go to the ER!   I quickly scooped him up, put him in a crate and we were off to the clinic, on our very first night together. This little guy was not going to die on my watch.

The Emergency Room was packed at 12:30 and I could hear each tick of the clock in the waiting room as I anxiously awaited our turn. I put my hand in the front of the crate to touch Bailey so that I could reassure him that all would be ok. He laid there and looked at me with trusting eyes.  I could not let this little one down.

Finally, it was our turn and sure enough Bailey was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection and was given antibiotics with orders to follow up with the vet on Monday. The vet confirmed calicivirus on Monday and we were sent home with yet another set of antibiotics.  I had a schedule taped to my refridgerator of what to give on what days and when. This cat was really sick and I had only had him for a few days.  The shelter told me they would take him back, but after I researched calicivirus and found out that its typically seen in cats who have lived in shelters, there was no way he was going back.    Bailey was mine to nurse back to health and love with all my heart. 

And that I have done and continue to do so every precious day we are together.


After a year or so of antibiotic and steroid therapy, I knew it was time to change course. All that I had learned about human healthcare had taught me enough to know that a constant diet of steroids suppresses the immune system and the patient/animal could surely die of  some other ailment.

The allergist that the conventional vet referred us to wanted to put Bailey under to test for about 5 different things, all with a drug therapy or chemotherapy outcome.  I told her that I would prefer that my cat not be put under anesthesia and then drugs and I knew intuitively that he did not have cancer! So, chemotherapy wasn't going to enter the picture and I wouldn't put him through that even if he did.
I told her that I thought there was another alternative approach and she looked at me like I had ten heads.  Well, I knew that there were a vast array of holisitc treatments and approaches to treat humans why wouldn't there be for animals as well.  She stated that she didn't know of any and I politely told her that Bailey and I would be going home and doing our own research to help heal him.

This started our journey together down the holistic healing pathway. And what an adventure it has been!  I found a vet in East Aurora, a small town outside of Buffalo, who practiced acupuncture, herbal and homeopathic medicine for cats and dogs.   Her name is Dr. Alisa Koenig .


This concludes the first part of our story. Won't you join us for part two?
    
                        Bailey and Mommy (aka Kimberley)

Taking a Step Back from Life

On Sunday, I drove out to my mom's house for a family gathering.  My brother and his wife are in town and my mom wanted us to see her newly renovated bathroom and mudroom. It had been quite a long time since we were all at my mothers house.  She lives about an hour away from my house in Sardinia, NY where the trees are all around you and the grass is such a lush green and goes on for miles and miles.

My week had been full to the brim with working, training at the gym, and a total focus on my personal goals. Every hour of the day was scheduled, even Saturday.  When sunday rolled around, all I wanted to do was sleep and play with my cats. Instead, I got up, went to the gym and started on the drive to my moms. The tears of frustration and fatigue were right at the surface and I knew any one thing could set them off. 

Sure enough, one of my dearest friends sent me a text just to check in and the tears started to come.  I knew I was at a breaking point.  Once again, I found myself in a place where I expected too much of myself and have piled way too much onto my plate. 

No time for crying, I knew I needed to get myself in gear or my mom would be really upset with me.  I was already over an hour late, because I wanted to get my workout in. So, I bought myself my favorite cinnamon chip muffin at wegmans, made some hazelnut coffee and headed on the road.

I popped in a Wayne Dyer CD, in hopes that this would calm my soul for the hour drive.

My mind focused on the road and the words that Dr Dyer spoke to me for the first 25 minutes, and then just as I began to pass the highway signs for East Aurora, quietude and calm entered my spirit and the stress began to drift away.  The trees hugged me like an old friend.  The memories of what it was like living in the country resurfaced.

I soon passed the Town of Wales and then, the Town of Holland embraced me just as it had many years ago.  It called out to my soul as I unconsicously slowed the car down.  I drank in the country style homes, the corner taverns, the small store fronts and the Bank of Holland on the corner. And then there they were, Joanne's house, my house, Marg's and across the street was Helen's.  Helen's house was for sale, that saddened me.  A sign that life continues to move on, despite the fact that you want time to stand still.  I wanted to stop and just breathe in the memories, but I knew I must continue on to my mom's, another 15 minutes away. 

My family was kind and only harrassed me for being late for about five minutes. The afternoon was delightful as some of the guys and my niece Shelby caught some sunfish and bass in the pond. The air was just right, not too hot,  not too cool. The summer sun shone brightly, and my nephews son Connor, who is all of 20 months old, was frolicking around the grass in his bare feet, shorts, shirtless and ringlet blonde hair. Dinner was casual with chicken and poultry sausage on the grill with sides of potatoe salad and baked beans. We couldn't have asked for a better day. 

All the while I was there, soaking up the country air, looking at the flowering lily pads and listening to the sounds of birds and insects, relishing time with my family, I wondered  to myself, how did I allow myself to get on the hamster trail again?  My mothers husband had a simple and profound answer for me as he was flipping the sausage in the grill, he simply said "Get out of your head and listen to your heart."

I had no reply, as I knew he was right.

Those five hours in the remote woods, in a log cabin house, brought me back to a place of peace and contentment, back to the simpler things I love.  Home, family, gardens, nature, animals.

Having resistantly drove out to my Mom's, I found myself reluctant to leave and even contemplated staying for the week.  Slowly, I made my way out of the driveway, smelling the air that was now turning crisp as dusk was soon approaching.  I love the summer, nightime air in the country, it has that certain smell about it.

I stopped the car before I made the turn onto the highway.  It was as if something inside of me was saying, No, don't go back, leave it all behind. As I pulled out, something else was saying, Get Moving! as the car behind me was going full speed ahead at 55 miles an hour! I put the pedal to the metal and was on my way. Apparently, the universe was not going to let me just sit there!

I savored every mile of that trip home.  And I even stopped in front of Marg's house to see many of her furniture out on the front porch.  Apparenlty, someone was trying to clean out the house finally, two years or so after she has passed on.  I starred for awhile and then turned my attention to Helen's house.  The trim around the windows had been painted but the exterior was still white as it always had been. I glanced at the house, that once mine, large but friendly. The porch swing that was a gift to me was still there and flower baskets were hung, just as I had done so many years ago.  I thought of stopping at Joanne's to see if anyone was home, but it was already getting late and I wanted to make sure I got home to spend some time with my cats, they had been alone quite a bit this weekend. 

My inner spirit had changed within a short time and I didn't want to let go of it.  That feeling of contentedness was missing in my life and I desperately wanted it back.

As I laid my head on the pillow that night, I brought myself back to the days that I lived in Holland.  I wanted to be there in my dreams.  I wanted to fill myself with that contentment and let it seep into my body so that I would never again lose sight of what is truly important and what isn't.







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Lessons Learned from Marquerite

My heart is warmed when I think of my friend Marquerite. Unfortunately she passed away almost two years ago now. I believe she died before she hit 100 years of age.  I wish I would have been able to see her beforehand.  Thankfully, I am left with the fond memories we created together and the teachings she left me.  I could probably fill a few chapters with what Marg taught me, but there is plenty of time to share those things perhaps in another book or wherever it is meant to be.

I guess one of the most profound lessons that Marg taught me is to be resourceful and that medicine doesn't necessarily have to cost a lot.  The medicine is oftentimes right in our kitchen or in some very old and inexpensive remedies.

This is a woman who never took antibiotics until she was in her early 90's and was hospitalized for a reason that has escaped me now.  I remember her telling me, "Kim, if they ever put me in a hospital again, please don't let them give me those drugs." "They do funny things to me."

Marquerite lived in the house right next door.  There were very few fences in Holland, New York so neighbors tended to visit a lot more with one another.  Isn't that wonderful! I have such fond memories of warm, summer saturday afternoons sitting on Marg's back porch with a cup of tea, overlooking the garden that was about the size of a large bedroom. Marg tended it mostly by herself which I found highly impressive at her age! She always ate fresh and seldom did she go out to eat.  That kind of thing was such a luxury to someone like Marg. When she did go out, she brought a doggie bag along with her so that she didn't waste the leftovers.!  She seldom had a drop of liquor either. 
      One time, I did start to have a drink with my dinner and then I found that I looked forward to it and sometimes missed it.  Then I knew I shouldn't drink if I felt like I missed it.

So, she never drank after that.  Is there some lesson here? Not so sure, other than Marg listened to her body and she did what she felt comfortable with.  As for me, I enjoy my cocktails as my friends well know.

One afternoon as we were sitting on the porch, I was sharing with her that I wasn't feeling all that great, I was having terrible menstrual cramps.  I had suffered from them since my early thirties. "Well, get a castor oil pack, that will cure them." A what? I replied?  A castor oil pack.  Haven't you ever heard of Edgar Cayce?  No, I sure didn't.  Marg went onto explain who Edgar Cayce was and how he was able to heal people.

For those of you who aren't familiar with this man, he lived in the 19th century and had an extraordinary gift of healing while putting himself in a sleep induced state.  He has been named the "father of holistic medicine." Not only did he have the ability to heal, he could also prophecy things to come and speak about how things came to be in years past. Somehow he had the ability to tap into the collective consciousness.

I have to admit I thought this was a bit far fetched! And a little "out there." But! she peaked my interest nonetheless. 

Marquerite got up from her porch chair, went into her home which was painted white on the outside, with plain and sturdy furnishings on the inside and left me for a few minutes to admire her garden and enjoy my tea.

She came out with a plastic bag that contained a piece of beige wool fabric and several pieces of paper that talked about Edgar Cayce and the healing properties of castor oil packs.  Marguerite told me that it would cure my premenstrual cramps. 

I wasn't a believer, but they were too bad not to try something other than popping tylenol with codeine every month!

I went home that afternoon, drove to the health food store in East Aurora and purchased some castor oil. Well, I am not sure what was in that castor oil, but man did the heating pad feel good and my cramps began to subside.  The instructions from Cayce were to apply the pack to the abdomen with a heating pad for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours for three days in a row and then rest for a few days and repeat.  There is a more thorough explanation and short video on this link:http://www.edgarcayce.org/are/holistic_health/data/thcast1.html.  I have used that trusty method for years now when my cramps get especially bad.  It always works! Always!  And, they would probably go away totally if I truly was committed to an hour a day for three days a week. We all take bits of information to see how it can apply to our lives and help our own circumstances.

There are many other lessons that Marg has taught me.  Perhaps they are worth another blog or two.  We shall see what moves me in the coming days, if lessons from other friends should be shared or if Marg has decided to visit for awhile until her message gets out to the world through my little blog.

Kimberley

Health and Healing, Lessons Learned from Friends and Animals

I began writing this blog last saturday.  I took the time to contemplate it's content, which is why I have waited a week to post. It is my hope that someone will learn something new and start their own journey to a healthier lifestyle.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Good morning my readers,

It is a cold and rainy spring, Saturday morning.  It definitely evokes a writer to put pen to paper.  My home office overlooks the beautiful, majestic and old maple trees that line my street.  They are in full bloom right now and I so enjoy their luscious green color.  As I contemplate what my writing will be focused on today, awaiting inspiration, my mind wanders to the lessons I have learned from friends and animals about health and healing.

As most of my blog readers know, my cat Ben recently died of cancer and ever since then, I have had a very strong urge to eat even better than I have before and to understand why he developed cancer.  Was it the food I fed him? the stress of his sister Creep dying right after the house fire?, his brother Baileys alpha personality? something in our home environment? or was it something that I will never quite figure out?  Why do we have so much cancer in our world today? Everytime you turn around some knows someone that is suffering or dying from it and animals are getting sicker at younger ages.

Quite frankly I want to hear more about the wonderful food we now have available to us all year round, the thousands upon thousands of healthy recipes you can get on your computer, your IPhone, the people are accomplishing great things with their bodies at ages we never dreamed possible before! What about those 90 year old people who are running races and lifting weights and feeling the best they have ever felt?  I want to hear about the stories of animals that have been healed and what the healthiest foods are for them and how to keep them in their best shape.

I have always loved exercise,eating well and looking the best I possibly can.  Its been a passion of mine ever since I can remember. But now, more than ever before, eating "clean" and healthy is calling me. My mother is a cancer survivor and has been diagnosed with Celiac's.  My dad had high cholesterol and heart issues but has since been a total convert to supplements, ordering beef from an organic farm and eating lots of vegetables and fruits and juicing.  He is totally off his high cholesterol and heart medicine.  My dad is a pretty tenacious guy.  He had six stents put in his heart and was out pulling dry wall down not two weeks later! 

I have been very lucky as I am a very healthy woman who's only health issue is perimenopause and psoriasis.  I am stronger then I have ever been due to a committment I made to employ a personal trainer two years ago this month.  I lift weights three days a week and do some form of cardio 30-45 minutes, five days a week.

I came to study health and healing when my former husband and I are were trying to have a baby.  Diagnosed with infertility and suffering severe PMS symptoms in my thirties drove me to find ways to help my body become pain free and to heal itself.  During that same period, I met a dear friend and her husband who were vegetarian and avid students of alternative medicine. This was the start of a journey that would grip my curiosity and send me down paths I never dreamed over the last twenty years.

I have studied amazing, human holistic teachers such as Dr. Christiane Northrup http://www.drnorthrup.com/ Louise Hay, http://www.louisehay.com/, Wayne Dyer, http://www.drwaynedyer.com/, Deepak Chopra, http://www.deepakchopra.com/ and Andrew Weil, http://www.drweil.com ,Caroline Myss, http://www.myss.com/ and so many others .

My cats vets stand as my teachers in homeopathic and energy medicine. They are
Dr. Alisa Koenig DMV, located in East Aurora, NY, Dr. Donald Hamilton, DMV, in New Mexico and Dr. Cynthia Lankenau, DVM in Colden, NY. 

Recently, I have been following two amazing websites of women who I truly admire for their committment to health. Tosca Reno, http://toscareno.com/ and Kris Carr, http://crazysexylife.com/.
They are women who have embraced health at every level, physical, spiritual, mental.

What have I learned? What can I share with you so that you can begin to ask some of your own questions, answer some that you have pondered or simply be enlightened by some new bit of information?

Answer:  I have learned more than I can share on one blog! Hahahaha!

So perhaps what I can begin with is to talk about Lessons Learned from my 90 year old friend Marquerite with whom I spent precious moments with during my days in Holland, NY.

Rainbow Hugs

So, I was driving home this evening after a lovely warm, family and friend filled birthday party for my good friends daughter.  It had been raining and cloudy all day. The feeling in the air was more fall like than spring.  As I was driving, I was thinking to myself how much I wished I had a special someone to share my life with and how nice it would be to snuggle under the covers with them on this damp and chilly evening. My heart felt a bit saddened.  I seldom feel lonely, but for whatever reason, tonight was one of those occassions where I really wanted to have someone to come home to. 

It was just then, that the sun came out from underneath the clouds and low and behold, there was a rainbow.  I hadn't seen a rainbow in so long.  It was almost as if God himself was telling me that he was right beside me and I truly was not alone. I was so grateful that the roads were very light this evening, it gave me an opportunity to just keeping looking at that rainbow in hopes that I would committ its beauty to memory.

The love of friends, the love of family, the love of God who quietly lets you know he is near.  And I will sleep peacefully knowing that All is Well!

Kimberley

Be Happy! Dance!

Love your Life! Everyday in everyway.  No matter what the circumstance, find something to be happy about today. 

There are so many things in life to celebrate and be joyful about.  Life is fragile and can be over in seconds.

Live your life to the fullest, every minute of every hour.  Cherish that chance meeting with friends you haven't seen in years, the sun that comes up everyday without any work on our part, the birds that sing, our animals that love us unconditionally, our family who loves us despite our shortcomings.

Over the last few weeks there has been so much mention of illness surrounding me that it has made me just want to jump up and dance and be so very grateful for the good health that I have and to strive everyday to be a better person than I was the day before.

Find something, anything to be grateful for and that makes you happy today.  Turn on the radio, watch a youtube video - get up dance and celebrate the life that is you!  I know I will be!

Kimberley

Exercise, a power packed word!

Exercise.  An eight letter word that is packed with such amazing benefits!  Why do we resist it so much when it feels so good?

In my life, exercise has been my friend.  It has helped my broken heart to heal on many occassions.

It has given me motivation. When I discovered I could actually see my body changing and those muscles in those arms, I knew I could do anything if I set my mind to it!

It has given me the courage to continue on.

It has made me stronger.  Stronger physically and stronger mentally. 

It has made me hopeful.  Hopeful that all really is well and that the world is really a great place to be in.

It has introduced me to new friends.

It has given me the energy to live a more vibrant life.

It has allowed me to eat that extra cookie when I feel like eating it!

It gives me the knowing that I can always push myself to do more than I believe I am capable of!

I encourage everyone to find an exercise they love and stick with it! And when you have mastered that one, find a new one and change it up! Your body and mind will love you for it! 

Kimberley