Dr. Ornish, you have been an outstanding advocate for reversing the lifestyles that have brought us so many health concerns. For all of us, thank you.

However, the most important part of your article was left for the last couple paragraphs, seemingly reflecting a conclusion based on a decade of trying to effect bureaucratic change to adopt sensible wellness reimbursement practices.

Institutionalized bureaucracy has certainly run amok.

Dr. Frank Lipman, in his recent article at Huffington Post, says we (and our healers) need to ask/answer two questions:

1) What is harming you and needs to be removed to permit the body to heal?

and

2) What is lacking or what does your body need to promote healing?

Here's an excerpt and link to the article:

* * * * * * * * * * * *

By Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa)

Washington, DC — With the Senate health committee convening daily to craft a comprehensive health reform bill, the basic outline of this landmark legislation is now clear.

Yes, it will ensure access to affordable, quality care for every American. But, just as important, it will hold down health care costs by creating a sharp new emphasis on disease prevention and public health.

I have been asked as of late to write numerous articles on the importance of play during the most trying of time in our world. It is humbling, to be honest. even i am understanding the deepest meaning of this word PLAY.

Back in 2003 I created the concept of playward - at first it was about bringing fun to corporate settings - it was so exciting to watch and be a part of men and women breaking down their "walls" and just have "fun."

It served a great purpose - more than i realized - for I am always remembering how to break down my own "walls" as well.

Introduction to Tai Chi

Practiced in China for 600 years, Tai Chi is becoming more popular in the United States. From improving balance to fighting heart disease and osteoarthritis - among many other ailments - research is increasingly verifying the benefits of practicing tai chi.

Learn more about this exercise and its health benefits; plus, find out how to get started with your own tai chi practice.

I want to wish everyone a wonderful and happy Thanksgiving Day. We have so much to be grateful for. For starters, as Americans we live better that 90% of the world. Sure, the world’s economy is in a slowdown. But, think about how much better off we are than that 90% of the world’s population.

The third leg of the Peace Pyramid is to focus on health and vitality, bringing balance to the wellness of our affairs.

This does not mean putting attention on that which we consider ill or diseased, or otherwise not functioning in an appropriate manner. Those are simply symptoms of a system that is out of balance.

The manner of restoring that balance is to find the flow of energy within the system, and identify and address those areas where that flow is obstructed or redirected.

The other morning I awoke feeling as though I was trying to pass a watermelon through my heart. Not literally, of course, but energetic birthing pangs none-the-less. After several months—if not years—of this, Thursday felt like a kind of watershed moment. “What on earth was going on,” I wondered aloud?

Nor was I alone. Several activating servers I know complained of awakening that very same morning in tears, stuffed emotions overflowing. “Heart stuff,” they each said; the feeling of massive emotional congestion lying at or near the heart. “Have you felt it,” they asked?

The efforts of those who serve are often so tightly focused on their work that they give little attention to their own needs. As a result, crucial areas of their lives often suffer.

Family and financial affairs are often high on that list of neglected aspects of their lives. At the top, though, is health.

For without good health, is it really possible to be at peace in your life, even when answering an inner call to make a contribution to the world?