What do you think of when you hear ‘epidemic’?

Do think some contagious disease spreading like wild fire?

Possibly a virus, or an unstoppable illness, that’s out of control.

 

All the above examples sound exotic, remote,  and  conjure images of things that happen in faraway lands. 

But the truth of this post is about an ‘epidemic’ much closer to home.

 

On the local front, the World health Organization calls Stress “the health epidemic of the 21st Century”, reporting that ‘Stress’ and the resulting illnesses springing from Stress accounts for more than 70% of all visits to medical doctors.

The question at hand is what is this powerful thing we call ‘Stress’? And why is it that it has such a powerful grip & effect on us?

 

Is Stress good or bad? When is it good, if ever and when is it bad?

 

What does Stress mean to each of us? How does it affect our bodies?

 

Is it possible we can welcome some form or version of Stress, and use it to our benefit rather than be overcome by Stress?

 

Stress is a word that reflects what we individually feel and how our bodies react to given a set of circumstances and demands upon it at any given time.  That was a mouthful…

 

The level of Stress we have is often filtered through our thoughts, ideas, our personal history and the decisions we have made with regards to what constitutes the range of what we will consider Stress or Stressful.

 

Often the stress is self created, and certainly some pressure is sometimes a necessary

push we need or give ourselves to get the job done. Guilty as charged…

 

For those reasons it is hard to say what Stress is, like a thing, you can point to.

 

Stress is moreover something we create and manage on our own, or with outside help.

 

We create the level and amount of Stress that is acceptable for us as a useful thing, and how much of it

we want at any given time, how much we can handle, and are willing to put up with or tolerate.

 

It is a large juggling act, that many of us practice daily.
 
Still, it seems wise to set some limits or parameters of how much Stress we will allow, to have balance and avoid getting too Stressed out, especially if we have Hypertension, or are prone to or get Stressed easily.

 

Be well, Practice Balance, Get what you Want.

 

Talia Inanna Kala*

Three or more Cheers for ‘Sister Kenny’

 

Have you ever heard of sister Kenny, who was a nurse from Australia?

 

No? Well you’ve heard of the devastating Illness of ‘Polio’ or otherwise or also know as ‘Infantile Paralysis’.

 

I recently came to know about the life of Sister Kenny from Australia, and i was so moved and inspired i decided to write about her.

There is also a movie ‘Sister Kenny’ Rosalind Russell beautifully plays the role of the ’sister’. In Australia a medical nurse is called a sister, at least they did at the time this old movie was made…

 

The movie opens with sister Kenny’s fiancé questioning why she wants to be a nurse, proclaims that she’ll probably want to give it up in six months..

 

She does become a nurse and her goal is to help the people in her small town in Australia get proper medical help, where before she came there wasn’t a doctor for many miles.

 

Soon she is confronted with a case of ‘infantile paralysis’ and has no clue what to do?

This is not something she had prepared for and moves quickly to write down the symptoms, which a messenger takes to the nearest doctor (riding a horse) and waits for instructions.

 

After some hours and the child is in pain crying, comes the answer: No know cure for Polio/Infantile Paralysis, do the best you can treating the symptoms to make child comfortable…

 

Sister Kenny observes that the child’s back is arched, and legs seem to be in a spasm.

She tells the parents to assist her in applying hot compresses, and after some time the child is in peace, finally sleeping in exhaustion…

 

The next day the child appears fine, no pain, no spasm.

 

However, when the child is told to move her leg she can’t seem to do it.

This is the next fase of the illness, and sister Kenny ever so diligent, experiments and finds a way to retrain/reeducate the brain and muscles to move again.

After some weeks the child is able to walk normally as if nothing had ever ailed her!!

 

Some other cases of infantile paralysis are reported, she uses the same protocol she used the first time and all 5 children recover beautifully like the first girl child, with no trace of ever having had the illness Polio.

 

Some time later she visits with other colleagues and the doctor who first told her there was no cure for Polio, and do her best with symptoms that present themselves.

The first colleague is very curious, and amazed at the results, but the other older, learned doctor, dismisses the whole thing, tells her not to take matters in her own hands, to go by the book, and just follow the guidelines of putting the children in braces…

While at the hospital she sees many young children who had suffered from Polio, and while seemingly Ok the all seem to have a problem either walking or a deformity from the effects of the illness, (and having been in those braces, rather than working with the body..)

She henceforth meets great opposition from Orthopedic Surgeons and the like, who put roadblocks in her path so that she is not allowed to treat the children. After some time and much struggle, she is allowed to work on the hopeless cases only, the ones that have had all the other treatments in the books and have failed.

She has success even there, but still she is not acknowledged for having a working protocol/strategy/cure.

 

This goes on for over thirty years!! Till one day she finally gets to speak in front of an audience of doctors and Orthopedic Surgeons, her long time vision.

 

This is a true story; about sister Kenny and about the perseverance she undergoes to help the world with her gift of the discovery of the treatment for Infantile Paralysis.

 

She did her work at a great cost to her personal life, not staying put in a city long enough to get married and have children etc..

In the end however, after many years, her old fiancé understands her commitment and the value of her work…

 

I find so many inspiring points about this true life story, first her awareness in the moment, the willingness to find a way, and be present to what she had in front of her,

her unwavering commitment , her desire to help others, and just darn old being unstoppable.

 

Sister Kenny had in fact developed a cure/remedy for Polio which changed the face of the significance of childhood Polio for thousands of children while all the time she was being told that if she was able to cure these patients then those children must not have had Polio, but something else?!

 

I honestly don’t know that i can persevere for so long, which is partly why this story is so mindbowingly and admirably inspiring!

 

Lots of cheers and thanks to you sister Kenny.

 

 

to your Best health,

Talia*