When we originally planned this issue of CoSozo Living, we had visions of being able to really highlight not only at a national level, but also at a state level, just where we stand with our health and wellness legislation. As we all know, we aren’t quite as far along as we had initially hoped we would be with our legislation this year.
It seems that our current health and wellness legislative goals have become reminiscent of our election years. The topic is all over the headline news on a daily basis, along with the corresponding blow by blows - which isn’t actually a bad way to describe it, given the behavior at many of the town hall meetings.
We all feel passionately about health care, and we should. There is no issue more central to who we are as human beings than how we care for one another. To be certain, there are many more issues involved here from who will pay and what they will pay, to what services are available. But at the end of the day, to me, that’s what this issue is all about - how we will care for one another.
We all have our own beliefs about what should be available, to whom, at what price in regards to health care. I hear from both health and wellness providers as well as everyday people all of the time about their concerns about what we are doing and not doing.
It’s easy to get discouraged right now. Change is difficult to begin with, and when you add in the varying amounts of truth, positioning, and rhetoric it can be difficult to identify what the truth really is. What I’m encouraged by more than anything else, is the degree to which the people of our nation are joining together to voice their opinions. Our mothers and fathers, our sisters and brothers, as well as our children are impacted by our current legislation, and they will be impacted by our future legislation as well. The most important tools we have in the effort to shape our futures is our voices.
The truth is, we are not all going to agree. It’s simply not feasible. We each have our own opinions, formed as a result of a life of experiences, and those opinions will not always be the same as someone else’s. What we can do is to talk with one another and explain our beliefs and why they matter to us. We can talk with people in positions of power, and help them to remember our stories when they are drafting or working on legislation that will impact our lives.
As we say at CoSozo, there is hope through knowledge. The first step in that effort is to make our positions known, to make our voices heard and remembered. I think that’s an important point to remember for all of us. It can be easy to not get involved at times because we feel far removed or feel no one is really going to bother to listen to us.
But, as we are highlighting by our feature article this month (written by Kevin Klobucar), we needn’t only sit and wait for legislation to help us pave the way to a better state of wellness for us as individuals. Blue Care Network of Michigan has used the tools at their disposal to implement a wellness plan for companies that rewards employees for making good wellness choices. What a great example of the profound impact we can have on the lives of others through our actions! Definitive, encouraging, and notable steps forward! My hat is definitely off to BCN for this initiative - thank you Kevin and all the folks at BCN!
We also have another great article from Dr. John Wycoff this month on chelation. Dr. Wycoff has such an easy, informative, and engaging way of discussing important health topics and therapies so that our readers can easily understand the information.
Mike DePrekel is also returning this month, and has provided an article regarding the proper way to evaluate your heart rate. The article also discusses the instances where using your heart rate is not applicable in evaluating your exercise stress or wellness condition, so be sure to read it.
We always love new writers to CoSozo, and welcome Betsy Willey, Shalena Havens, Elina Fedotova, and Ray Harris to our fold. Their articles on Healing Touch, Nutrition, Skin Care, and Medicare/Medicaid are quite informative and great primers for anyone. Thank you to all of you!
We are so proud to be able to highlight such great resources from our local communities. As you’ve heard me state many times before, we are so blessed to have so many individuals in our midst who have the expertise and wisdom to truly make a difference.
Fall is a great time to adopt better wellness goals. Wellness is something that we do step by step. With each new day we get another opportunity to make better choices and with the end of the summer activities, fall is a season that can provide us with the time we need to begin again. Sometimes it can be challenging to really care for ourselves when we are so busy caring for others and taking care of the responsibilities in our lives. We’ve included a great article that will help you to re-focus and begin to take small steps to get yourself back to being a priority in your life.
Make your voice and your actions count in your life and in the lives of those who love you. Take time today for yourself. You’ll be surprised at how much even a few minutes can make if you choose to use it to get centered and focus on yourself. And if you have the luxury of enough time for yourself, use your time to make a difference in the life of someone who needs a hand.
