For the longest period of time I used to hear folks say when they found out what the odd contraption was by the kitchen sink and after asking what it was, they would say, “I don’t need a water filter. The water coming out of the tap is just fine for me.” I used to reply you either use a water filter or you become one! I guess for some people the old adage “ignorance is bliss” applies across the board, but when it comes to the most precious and important resource on the globe, people need to be educated to the choices they make, or in the case of tap water, suffer the consequence.

The Associated Press recently stated that tap water has shown traces of prescription drugs in municipal drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans and in 24 major metropolitan areas - all the way from Southern California to Northern New Jersey. That alone should have you scurrying for a high quality water filter. I am amazed by people who spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars each month for health insurance, but won’t spend a dime on a good water filter, arguably the most important investment they could make for their health.The AP also stated that the presence of antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones are lurking in our municipal drinking water. Are my pecs looking different honey? No wonder kids have a hard time studying? Who said summertime and the living was easy!

Why don’t people care about an issue that can be ultimately life threatening? Probably because when it comes to their health they are totally ignorant about the importance of good, clean, refreshing water. They will load up on all the popular vitamins and minerals that are touted as important for their well being, but the most important factor for a species that is comprised of 70-80% water is the daily intake of good clean water, the ultimate solvent.

What was once only viewed and practiced by the alternative community, has now been thrust into the limelight and is seen as one of the most important health issues of our time. It can no longer be taken for granted that what is coming out of our tap is good for us, quite the contrary. It used to be only a Third World issue where most disease stemmed from lack of hygiene. You know, don’t drink the water when traveling to Mexico. Our water has lurking dangers that may be responsible for a number of nasty life threatening degenerative diseases. Diseases that are occurring at epidemic levels. In 1998, almost 12 years ago, US companies reported to the Feds (only because they were forced to by those environmental pinkies) that they had released more than one billion pounds (450 million kilograms) of developmental and neurological toxins in the nation’s air and water. O what’s a wee bit of neurotoxins going to do? That’s one billion, folks! Dump er’ right here and let mother nature take care of it. We don’t want to impede your bottom-line, you industrial giants you! Here you go fellows, no worries. Hmm..where do you think all those neurotoxins went to? Eh, nothing that a bit of Ritalin or Adderol won’t take care of. By the way, I am sure you could get geometric with what may be dumped now legally and illegally by our Industrial Economic patriarchs 12 years later!

According to current research most tap and well water in the U.S., although considered “safe” by some governmental (think bribe) standards, even small amounts of heavy industrial and environmental pollution can cause severe illness over time. It used to be just chlorine and fluoride that had the alternative community scampering for a good filter, now its names that can’t be translated without Google! So the water that residents of California's largest cities get from their taps, might meet most government safety standards, they still pose some health risks and need to be treated more thoroughly, according to their own watchdog agencies. So again I pose the question, why isn’t everyone screaming “give me a great water filtration system, NOW!”

In Fresno, California a study found, the risk of drinking tap water may be downright scary. The study concluded that pollution from farm and industrial sources was a health concern, particularly for children and pregnant women. Fresno water showed "repeated problems" with nitrates, pesticides and industrial chemicals. Damn them farm boys, when will they use good old manure that has been composted. If it isn’t safe for pregnant women, children and people with compromised immune systems, than it ain’t good for me or you either...HELLO!

Los Angeles admitted to amounts of arsenic and byproducts of disinfectants in the water supply, and other chemicals. Ah, what’s a little bit of arsenic going to do, he asked? Besides maybe those disinfectants might disinfect parts of me that need disinfecting! A San Diego study said that the chemical perchlorate was present in levels higher than acceptable by the state regulators. And San Francisco has a major issue with disinfectants known as trihalomethanes that have been linked to cancer. Well, what do you know, its sounds like drinking water might not give you a nasty case of "Los Angeles Revenge", but there is evidence it might eventually kill you. Let's see what will it be diarrhea or death? This is a vast and important issue that I will cover it in great depth. For now, I would suggest you begin to research the challenge you and your family face now and will probably face for years until industry is taken to the mat and forced to be accountable for the by products of our culture which thrives on consumption and waste. I am a bit biased on which filter to use, but I think they all deserve a bit of unbiased investigation.

In the two decades since I began practicing bodywork, I have been asked this question at least a thousand times (literally) by my clients who are coming to me for the first time. “ How long do you think it will take for my condition to be gone, healed, etc”?  My answer is, “If you have been on the planet 60 years, you have been in gravity 500,000 hours! Do the math! It took time for this pattern to arise in your electromagnetic field, and, it will take some time for it to dissipate. Because many or nearly most of those who practice in my genre can’t bill under third party insurance for chronic pain issues, or for any challenge that is brought to our “massage tables” for that matter, we have built our practice on the efficacy of our discipline and the word of mouth marketing that ensues with our successes.

There are concepts in physics that relate our structure to a liquid crystalline matrix. Physical, emotional and environmental force vectors enter our electromagnetic field and are held in it until they are resolved. So, a bicycle crash at 8 years of age can still be present in the matrix (body) of a 40 year old, and energy is still being used to hold that biokinetic force until it is resolved. So therefore, chronic pain issues are often related to a trauma that occurred years before, like a severe whiplash, an overbearing parent, an event like war, or an environmental toxin. Our bodily systems in many ways are similar to  a watery, pliable, gel like structure. Forces that effect our organism change the structure down to the microscopic level. It is a held resonant frequency within an electromagnetic field. These biokinetic energies can be described as trapped or inertial. Healing transpires when this energy is released through the skillful application of numerous manual healing techniques or the use of herbal supplementation, or pharmaceutical drugs.

Although there can be a few side effects with holistic healing techniques, they are rarely serious, and often signal that the healing process is underway. Treatments for various chronic painful conditions are numerous and when a patient begins their search for holistic healing techniques they may be surprised by the amount of choices at their disposal. One size does not fit all.

Massage is just one choice and is often confusing for a potential client who is dealing with a painful condition. Massage therapy often conjures up pictures of soft lighting and soothing music. Therapies which are relaxing, have their value and are used often to help with stress. And, stress is arguably one of the most important factors in creating disease at many levels of our organism. But there are scores of other techniques some that have been used for thousands of years with great success for chronic pain challenges!

Pain relief, is accomplished by using manual manipulation and by the use of pharmaceuticals and herbal remedies. What is important for the client/patient to understand is that their conditions usually didn’t occur over night, with of course the exception of major traumatic injuries. And, the client/patient needs to be prepared mentally for a journey to wellness that just may take a bit more than a few hours to accomplish their goals.