The Scientific Research That Supports
Worksite Health Promotion Activities
(Adapted from The Health Promotion First Act prepared by David Anderson, Ph.D.)
Employee Lifestyles Impact Employee Health
Approximately 40% of all deaths in the United States are premature (at least 900,000 deaths annually) and are due to unhealthy lifestyle choices such as tobacco use, poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, misuse of alcohol and drugs, and accidents. Other contributors to early death include genetic predisposition (30%), social circumstances (15%), poor access to quality medical care (10%), and environmental exposures (5%).
Unhealthy lifestyle is the primary contributor to the six leading causes of death in the U.S. – heart disease, cancer, stroke, respiratory diseases, accidents, and diabetes – which collectively account for over 70% of all deaths. , , ,
People with healthier lifestyles live an average of 6 to 9 years longer, postpone disability by 9 years and compress disability into fewer years at the end of life.
The prevalence of obesity among U.S. adults rose to 30% in 1999-2000, a 33% increase from a decade earlier, and the prevalence of diabetes also rose by 33% during approximately the same period (1990 to 1998).
About two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese,8 55% do not get enough physical activity, 26% are completely inactive,10 and only 25% eat recommended amounts of fruit and vegetables If diet/physical activity patterns continue worsening at their current rate, these behaviors will soon surpass tobacco use as contributors to mortality.3
Among young people, the prevalence of overweight has more than quadrupled in the past 20 years to 16%, daily participation in high school physical education classes has dropped from 42% in 1991 to 28% in 2003, more than 60% eat too much saturated fat, and almost 80% do not eat recommended amounts of fruit and vegetables.
Lifestyle diseases disproportionately affect women, racial and ethnic minorities, the poor and seniors:
• The prevalence of diabetes among African Americans is about 70% higher than among white Americans, and the prevalence among Hispanics is nearly double that for white Americans.
• Women comprise more than half of the people who die each year of cardiovascular disease.
• Chronic conditions significantly limit daily activity for 35% of persons over 65 years of age.
Financial Impact of Lifestyle
It is estimated that lifestyle-related chronic diseases account for 70% of the nation’s medical care costs, which translates to over 11% of the entire U.S. gross domestic product.
Two comprehensive scientific reviews identified 83 peer-reviewed studies reporting that people with unhealthy habits have higher medical costs. ,
Research conservatively estimates that high health risks (high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, etc) account for at least 25% of total medical costs.
Recent research indicates a direct relationship between modifiable lifestyle risks and lower worker productivity, , and relevant data suggest that the costs to employers in lost productivity due to poor employee health may be substantially more than the direct medical and disability costs. ,
Unhealthy lifestyles often lead to chronic disease, many of which cannot be cured and require years or decades of expensive treatments. Below are estimated annual costs of selected unhealthy lifestyles and chronic diseases including obesity, , smoking, hypertension, diabetes, stress, and inactivity.
Worksite Health Promotion Improves Health and Yields Major Savings
Comprehensive scientific reviews identified 378 peer-reviewed studies showing that worksite health promotion programs improve health knowledge, health behaviors, and underlying health conditions.
Research has demonstrated that lifestyle modification may often be more effective and cost-effective than medical intervention in reducing morbidity and mortality.
Several scientific reviews indicate that worksite health promotion programs reduce medical costs and absenteeism and produce a positive return on investment.20, , , The most definitive review of financial impact reported that:
• 18 studies indicated that these programs reduce medical costs, and 14 studies indicated that they reduce absenteeism costs.20
• 13 studies that calculated benefit/cost ratios all showed the savings from these programs are much greater than their cost, with medical cost savings averaging $3.48 and the absenteeism savings averaging $5.82 per dollar invested in the programs.20
Medical costs are expected to exceed 16 percent of U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) in 2005 and to grow at 7.2 percent annually through 2015, when medical expenditures will account for 20 percent of GDP: ,
• Per capita medical costs in the U.S. are the highest in the world and more than double the median for OECD countries (see chart below), yet the United States ranks 26th in terms of healthy life expectancy.
• Medicaid is the second largest item in most state budgets, and its portion of the total budgets is increasing each year.
• Rising medical costs for U.S. employers continue to outpace general inflation, averaging 12 percent per year for the past 10 years. This trend is causing a tremendous financial hardship on U.S. employers.
References, upon request
For more information contact the Wellness Education Foundation call 1800-287-9488
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Wellness Today, for a Better Life Tomorrow
The Wellness Education Foundation, Inc (WEF) was founded 1992 by Dr. David Wade and is governed by the laws of Alabama. It is an IRS approved 501-c3 non-profit corporation focused on improving the health and wellness of the individual and the dissemination of wellness knowledge to management and workers of all organizations and businesses.
WEF is positioned to become a major provider of Wellness services in this soon to be $1 trillion dollar a year Wellness Industry in the US. Specifically, WEF works closely with employees and their families to reduce the health risk factors that drive rising insurance costs for companies and ruin good health. It is provided online and at the worksite by company workers and WEF affiliated providers (doctors). The providers working with the WEF program share the vision of Wellness Today, For A Better Life Tomorrow.
WEF also sells products and services discounted directly to the public. through the affiliated Buyer's Club WEF will receive revenue from many sources. Dr Wade is the Director of WEF and dedicated to assisting companies and their employees, municipalities, government organizations, chambers of commerce and church groups and individuals with wellness, health and injury prevention programs. Through online tools and professional volunteer members nation-wide, the WEF disseminates health and wellness information to the public.
The Internet site is www.wellnesseducationfoundation.org, which is the outreach and educational tool for reaching the world with wellness education. Dr Wade also owns Online Wellness, www.onlinewellness.org which provides specific subscription based online wellness tools through contractual strategic alliances such Convergence Health, Health Risk Assessment, Comprehensive Stress Survey, and Health e Campaign.
Healthy People 2010, the US Department of Health and Human Services set of health goals for the nation for the first decade of this century, has two primary objectives:
" Increase quality and years of healthy life.
" Eliminate health disparities among different segments of the population.
Healthy People 2010 challenges all --professionals, communities, and individuals, to take specific steps to ensure, that good health and long life are enjoyed by all.
WEF has the programs to meet the Challenge of Healthy People 2010, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, educational programs, and injury prevention.
The WEF Members in Alabama were able to obtain credentials as part of the Poly Clinic Medical Staff for the 1996 Olympic Village in Birmingham for the Quarterfinal Soccer Games. WEF Members have presented educational programs at governmental agencies, schools, churches, corporations. WEF Members are assisting and in many cases coordinating monthly themed health fairs at Wal Marts in conjunction with the Vision Centers and Pharmacy across the US.
Internet and e-commerce training services show constant growth rates. For the United States where the company operates, the Internet training industry expects significant growth rates to persist in the near future, so that investments in that segment tend to be very profitable. The goal of this operation is to offer a wide range of services. Online health and wellness products will also be offered like a shopping mall. In addition to this core business, the company offers a selection of consulting services through their professional providers and health coaches which will help to increase sales revenues and utilize personnel capacity.
The wellness programming is also packaged for sale to individuals, fitness centers, patients of Wellness Coaches, other physician's patients, associations, and other non-employer based groups.
WEF accepts memberships as Corporations, Professionals and Individuals each with their benefits. It has plans to offer memberships or sponsorships to suppliers of products and services that are aligned with the mission and goals of WEF. The WEF's offering includes:
Corporate Membership Benefits:
Health Risk Assessment for behavioral & lifestyle risk reduction programming, i.e. "wellness program"
" healthier workforce resulting in lower health premiums and costs
" reduced compensation claims
" reduced absenteeism
" increased productivity
happy and healthier employees
group perks program and discount buying
Professional Membership Benefits:
Access to key public sites & companies through affiliation with this national non profit organization (WEF)
Increased opportunities to develop corporate relationships with long term benefits
Increased access to expanding potential patient base in each providers practice
Provide additional wellness services to patient base as individual WEF members, including HRA, Self Help- Programs, Wellness Center, Buyers Club
Expand Wellness Services to business and the community - be recognized as the responsible provider of this unique service
Become a Corporate Wellness Coach - new income opportunity
Increase Income through wellness programs presented
group perks program and discount buying
Individual Program Benefits
Determine Wellness Score to stay healthy for a lifetime - Health Risks identified so person can take action to protect and improve health
Remove the disparaging wellness educational information presented to diverse population groups
Ongoing management of diet & exercise program to prevent illness and injury
Proactive involvement of individual health and often with discounts for services and care.
group perks program and discount buying
WEF appreciates the life giving intervention that conventional medicine can offer in cases of acute injury, life threatening conditions or end stage disease. Conventional medicine, however, has not recognized that it fails to provide a foundation for wellness. Screening for early manifestations of disease, while necessary, is not sufficient. It is our hope that by integrating wellness knowledge, services and products along with certain complementary healthcare approaches into the traditional medical model, all concerned (individuals and organizations) will experience greater savings, improved health and get health and healthcare under control. And by making these services readily available to the public will help remove the health disparities among different segments of the population.
Without this approach, wellness experts predict by 2030 government expenditures on healthcare are projected to reach 50% of government revenues. Much of this could be lessened by employers and employees adopting wellness principles into their daily lives. Companies are facing the same crisis: Starbucks for example reportedly spends more on employee healthcare than coffee. Proven fact: when business leaders and their employees understand the principles of good health and act according to those it leads to increased wellness and prevention of injury and disease. This will impact productivity, decrease health care costs, and `reduce injury rates. Teaching Wellness has been shown to have the unique ability to reduce medical claims even in the first year of implementation.
WEF has a business approach that uniquely provides value to Employers, Individuals, Health & Wellness Providers, Organizations, Insurance Professionals and TPA's.
" Employers benefit by having access to an affordable and effective means of developing a healthier workforce resulting in lower insurance costs, higher productivity, lower absenteeism, and reduced turnover.
" Individuals receive the tools, education, assessments, and incentives to pursue healthier lifestyle choices resulting in the avoidance of many chronic conditions and diseases. Employees and dependents with behavioral and lifestyle risk factors enter the WEF Program with the goal of affecting change. The less effective medical model focuses more on treating symptoms.
" Organizations such as associations, colleges, and universities benefit from our services by offering members/students an opportunity to address lifestyle and behavioral changes.
Health & Wellness Providers enjoy the opportunity to educate clients and, as a result, grow their practices.
" Insurance Professionals & TPA's will be supplied with the WEF proactive solution to the problem of increasing insurance and claims costs creating a marketable differentiation in a competitive marketplace as they add the WEF solution. This results in an increased ability to develop and attract clients.
Phamaceutical companies will benefit as we seek to educate the disease management group in long term strategies to control the progression of disease through maintaining their prescribed treatment guidelines.
WEF has the potential to become an instrument of real change in the way people worldwide maximize their life by improving the knowledge base and assisting individuals in accepting responsibility for their health potential.
WEF is positioned to become a major provider of Wellness services in this soon to be $1 trillion dollar a year Wellness Industry in the US. Specifically, WEF works closely with employees and their families to reduce the health risk factors that drive rising insurance costs for companies and ruin good health. It is provided online and at the worksite by company workers and WEF affiliated providers (doctors). The providers working with the WEF program share the vision of Wellness Today, For A Better Life Tomorrow.
WEF also sells products and services discounted directly to the public. through the affiliated Buyer's Club WEF will receive revenue from many sources. Dr Wade is the Director of WEF and dedicated to assisting companies and their employees, municipalities, government organizations, chambers of commerce and church groups and individuals with wellness, health and injury prevention programs. Through online tools and professional volunteer members nation-wide, the WEF disseminates health and wellness information to the public.
The Internet site is www.wellnesseducationfoundation.org, which is the outreach and educational tool for reaching the world with wellness education. Dr Wade also owns Online Wellness, www.onlinewellness.org which provides specific subscription based online wellness tools through contractual strategic alliances such Convergence Health, Health Risk Assessment, Comprehensive Stress Survey, and Health e Campaign.
Healthy People 2010, the US Department of Health and Human Services set of health goals for the nation for the first decade of this century, has two primary objectives:
" Increase quality and years of healthy life.
" Eliminate health disparities among different segments of the population.
Healthy People 2010 challenges all --professionals, communities, and individuals, to take specific steps to ensure, that good health and long life are enjoyed by all.
WEF has the programs to meet the Challenge of Healthy People 2010, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, educational programs, and injury prevention.
The WEF Members in Alabama were able to obtain credentials as part of the Poly Clinic Medical Staff for the 1996 Olympic Village in Birmingham for the Quarterfinal Soccer Games. WEF Members have presented educational programs at governmental agencies, schools, churches, corporations. WEF Members are assisting and in many cases coordinating monthly themed health fairs at Wal Marts in conjunction with the Vision Centers and Pharmacy across the US.
Internet and e-commerce training services show constant growth rates. For the United States where the company operates, the Internet training industry expects significant growth rates to persist in the near future, so that investments in that segment tend to be very profitable. The goal of this operation is to offer a wide range of services. Online health and wellness products will also be offered like a shopping mall. In addition to this core business, the company offers a selection of consulting services through their professional providers and health coaches which will help to increase sales revenues and utilize personnel capacity.
The wellness programming is also packaged for sale to individuals, fitness centers, patients of Wellness Coaches, other physician's patients, associations, and other non-employer based groups.
WEF accepts memberships as Corporations, Professionals and Individuals each with their benefits. It has plans to offer memberships or sponsorships to suppliers of products and services that are aligned with the mission and goals of WEF. The WEF's offering includes:
Corporate Membership Benefits:
Health Risk Assessment for behavioral & lifestyle risk reduction programming, i.e. "wellness program"
" healthier workforce resulting in lower health premiums and costs
" reduced compensation claims
" reduced absenteeism
" increased productivity
happy and healthier employees
group perks program and discount buying
Professional Membership Benefits:
Access to key public sites & companies through affiliation with this national non profit organization (WEF)
Increased opportunities to develop corporate relationships with long term benefits
Increased access to expanding potential patient base in each providers practice
Provide additional wellness services to patient base as individual WEF members, including HRA, Self Help- Programs, Wellness Center, Buyers Club
Expand Wellness Services to business and the community - be recognized as the responsible provider of this unique service
Become a Corporate Wellness Coach - new income opportunity
Increase Income through wellness programs presented
group perks program and discount buying
Individual Program Benefits
Determine Wellness Score to stay healthy for a lifetime - Health Risks identified so person can take action to protect and improve health
Remove the disparaging wellness educational information presented to diverse population groups
Ongoing management of diet & exercise program to prevent illness and injury
Proactive involvement of individual health and often with discounts for services and care.
group perks program and discount buying
WEF appreciates the life giving intervention that conventional medicine can offer in cases of acute injury, life threatening conditions or end stage disease. Conventional medicine, however, has not recognized that it fails to provide a foundation for wellness. Screening for early manifestations of disease, while necessary, is not sufficient. It is our hope that by integrating wellness knowledge, services and products along with certain complementary healthcare approaches into the traditional medical model, all concerned (individuals and organizations) will experience greater savings, improved health and get health and healthcare under control. And by making these services readily available to the public will help remove the health disparities among different segments of the population.
Without this approach, wellness experts predict by 2030 government expenditures on healthcare are projected to reach 50% of government revenues. Much of this could be lessened by employers and employees adopting wellness principles into their daily lives. Companies are facing the same crisis: Starbucks for example reportedly spends more on employee healthcare than coffee. Proven fact: when business leaders and their employees understand the principles of good health and act according to those it leads to increased wellness and prevention of injury and disease. This will impact productivity, decrease health care costs, and `reduce injury rates. Teaching Wellness has been shown to have the unique ability to reduce medical claims even in the first year of implementation.
WEF has a business approach that uniquely provides value to Employers, Individuals, Health & Wellness Providers, Organizations, Insurance Professionals and TPA's.
" Employers benefit by having access to an affordable and effective means of developing a healthier workforce resulting in lower insurance costs, higher productivity, lower absenteeism, and reduced turnover.
" Individuals receive the tools, education, assessments, and incentives to pursue healthier lifestyle choices resulting in the avoidance of many chronic conditions and diseases. Employees and dependents with behavioral and lifestyle risk factors enter the WEF Program with the goal of affecting change. The less effective medical model focuses more on treating symptoms.
" Organizations such as associations, colleges, and universities benefit from our services by offering members/students an opportunity to address lifestyle and behavioral changes.
Health & Wellness Providers enjoy the opportunity to educate clients and, as a result, grow their practices.
" Insurance Professionals & TPA's will be supplied with the WEF proactive solution to the problem of increasing insurance and claims costs creating a marketable differentiation in a competitive marketplace as they add the WEF solution. This results in an increased ability to develop and attract clients.
Phamaceutical companies will benefit as we seek to educate the disease management group in long term strategies to control the progression of disease through maintaining their prescribed treatment guidelines.
WEF has the potential to become an instrument of real change in the way people worldwide maximize their life by improving the knowledge base and assisting individuals in accepting responsibility for their health potential.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
What is a Subluxation?
Subluxation - “The Silent Killer”
Your Nervous System is responsible for controlling and coordinating all other systems and structures in your body. The Central Nervous System consisting of the Brain and Spinal Cord is responsible for sending and receiving messages to and from every tissue, organ and system in your body. This communication is made possible by your spinal neurological network. This vast communication network is in charge of virtually every function in your body and determines whether you enjoy good health or suffer with ongoing malfunction or disease. The central nervous system is so important that nature build a protective case around it, your skull and spinal column. However, even with this “inborn Protection” your nervous system can experience interference, injury or disturbance. We call this damage to our nervous system a Subluxation.
Your examinations have determined that you have one or multiple subluxations that exist in your spinal neurological network. This is a very serious threat to your continued overall health and well being. Many people have subluxations and do not even know that a problem exists. Early subluxation development causes a loss of function in the body, but in the early stages create few symptoms. Most people overlook the early warning signs until significant damage occurs.
Subluxations are often called the “Silent Killer” because of their nature of causing a progressive loss of function, while initially not causing any pain until they are quite progressed. Subluxations usually go undetected for years before they are diagnosed, and frequently have caused progressive deterioration to your overall health potential.
Subluxations have devastating effects on your overall health and wellbeing. Our primary goal is to detect and correct subluxations that are interfering with your nervous system and health thereby allowing your body to heal and establish a healthier you.
Since there is such a hidden nature to the Subluxation, we recommend all individuals be checked for this significant threat to your health. The earlier the subluxation is identified the less likely damage is to occur, so children especially should be checked for interference or subluxation early. Call Wade & Associated Chiropractic and schedule an evaluation, 256-237-9423.
Wade & Associated Chiropractic
A Partnership To Better Health
217 East 7th Street
Anniston, Al
Phone 256-237-9423
FREE HELP VIDEO
Your Nervous System is responsible for controlling and coordinating all other systems and structures in your body. The Central Nervous System consisting of the Brain and Spinal Cord is responsible for sending and receiving messages to and from every tissue, organ and system in your body. This communication is made possible by your spinal neurological network. This vast communication network is in charge of virtually every function in your body and determines whether you enjoy good health or suffer with ongoing malfunction or disease. The central nervous system is so important that nature build a protective case around it, your skull and spinal column. However, even with this “inborn Protection” your nervous system can experience interference, injury or disturbance. We call this damage to our nervous system a Subluxation.
Your examinations have determined that you have one or multiple subluxations that exist in your spinal neurological network. This is a very serious threat to your continued overall health and well being. Many people have subluxations and do not even know that a problem exists. Early subluxation development causes a loss of function in the body, but in the early stages create few symptoms. Most people overlook the early warning signs until significant damage occurs.
Subluxations are often called the “Silent Killer” because of their nature of causing a progressive loss of function, while initially not causing any pain until they are quite progressed. Subluxations usually go undetected for years before they are diagnosed, and frequently have caused progressive deterioration to your overall health potential.
Subluxations have devastating effects on your overall health and wellbeing. Our primary goal is to detect and correct subluxations that are interfering with your nervous system and health thereby allowing your body to heal and establish a healthier you.
Since there is such a hidden nature to the Subluxation, we recommend all individuals be checked for this significant threat to your health. The earlier the subluxation is identified the less likely damage is to occur, so children especially should be checked for interference or subluxation early. Call Wade & Associated Chiropractic and schedule an evaluation, 256-237-9423.
Wade & Associated Chiropractic
A Partnership To Better Health
217 East 7th Street
Anniston, Al
Phone 256-237-9423
FREE HELP VIDEO
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Carpal Tunnel
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most expensive of all work-related injuries. Over his or her lifetime, a carpal tunnel patient loses about $30,000 in medical bills and time absent from work.
CTS typically occurs in adults, with women 3 times more likely to develop it than men. The dominant hand is usually affected first, and the pain is typically severe. CTS is especially common in assembly-line workers in manufacturing, sewing, finishing, cleaning, meatpacking, and similar industries. Contrary to the conventional wisdom, according to recent research, people who perform data entry at a computer (up to 7 hours a day) are not at increased risk of developing CTS.
What Is CTS?
CTS is a problem of the median nerve, which runs from the forearm into the hand. CTS occurs when the median nerve gets compressed in the carpal tunnel-a narrow tunnel at the wrist-made up of bones and soft tissues, such as nerves, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels. The compression may result in pain, weakness, and/or numbness in the hand and wrist, which radiates up into the forearm. CTS is the most common of the "entrapment neuropathies"-compression or trauma of the body"s nerves in the hands or feet.
What Are the Symptoms?
Burning, tingling, itching, and/or numbness in the palm of the hand and thumb, index, and middle fingers are most common. Some people with CTS say that their fingers feel useless and swollen, even though little or no swelling is apparent. Since many people sleep with flexed wrists, the symptoms often first appear while sleeping. As symptoms worsen, they may feel tingling during the day. In addition, weakened grip strength may make it difficult to form a fist or grasp small objects. Some people develop wasting of the muscles at the base of the thumb. Some are unable to distinguish hot from cold by touch.
Why Does CTS Develop?
Some people have smaller carpal tunnels than others, which makes the median nerve compression more likely. In others, CTS can develop because of an injury to the wrist that causes swelling, over-activity of the pituitary gland, hypothyroidism, diabetes, inflammatory arthritis, mechanical problems in the wrist joint, poor work ergonomics, repeated use of vibrating hand tools, and fluid retention during pregnancy or menopause.
How Is It Diagnosed?
CTS should be diagnosed and treated early. A standard physical examination of the hands, arms, shoulders, and neck can help determine if your symptoms are related to daily activities or to an underlying disorder.
Your doctor of chiropractic can use other specific tests to try to produce the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. The most common are:
• Pressure-provocative test. A cuff placed at the front of the carpal tunnel is inflated, followed by direct pressure on the median nerve.
• Carpal compression test. Moderate pressure is applied with both thumbs directly on the carpal tunnel and underlying median nerve at the transverse carpal ligament. The test is relatively new.
Laboratory tests and x-rays can reveal diabetes, arthritis, fractures, and other common causes of wrist and hand pain. Sometimes electrodiagnostic tests, such as nerveconduction velocity testing, are used to help confirm the diagnosis. With these tests, small electrodes, placed on your skin, measure the speed at which electrical impulses travel across your wrist. CTS will slow the speed of the impulses and will point your doctor of chiropractic to this diagnosis.
What Is the CTS Treatment?
Initial therapy includes:
• Resting the affected hand and wrist
• Avoiding activities that may worsen symptoms
• Immobilizing the wrist in a splint to avoid further damage from twisting or bending
• Applying cool packs to help reduce swelling from inflammations
Some medications can help with pain control and inflammation. Studies have shown that vitamin B6 supplements may relieve CTS symptoms.
Chiropractic joint manipulation and mobilization of the wrist and hand, stretching and strengthening exercises, soft-tissue mobilization techniques, and even yoga can be helpful. Scientists are also investigating other therapies, such as acupuncture, that may help prevent and treat this disorder.
Occasionally, patients whose symptoms fail to respond to conservative care may require surgery. The surgeon releases the ligament covering the carpal tunnel. The majority of patients recover completely after treatment, and the recurrence rate is low. Proper posture and movement as instructed by your doctor of chiropractic can help prevent CTS recurrences.
How Can CTS Be Prevented?
The American Chiropractic Association recommends the following tips:
• Perform on-the-job conditioning, such as stretching and light exercises.
• Take frequent rest breaks.
• Wear splints to help keep the wrists straight.
• Use fingerless gloves to help keep the hands warm and flexible.
• Use correct posture and wrist position.
• To minimize workplace injuries, jobs can be rotated among workers. Employers can also develop programs in ergonomics-the process of adapting workplace conditions and job demands to workers" physical capabilities.
FREE CARPAL TUNNEL HELP VIDEO
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most expensive of all work-related injuries. Over his or her lifetime, a carpal tunnel patient loses about $30,000 in medical bills and time absent from work.
CTS typically occurs in adults, with women 3 times more likely to develop it than men. The dominant hand is usually affected first, and the pain is typically severe. CTS is especially common in assembly-line workers in manufacturing, sewing, finishing, cleaning, meatpacking, and similar industries. Contrary to the conventional wisdom, according to recent research, people who perform data entry at a computer (up to 7 hours a day) are not at increased risk of developing CTS.
What Is CTS?
CTS is a problem of the median nerve, which runs from the forearm into the hand. CTS occurs when the median nerve gets compressed in the carpal tunnel-a narrow tunnel at the wrist-made up of bones and soft tissues, such as nerves, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels. The compression may result in pain, weakness, and/or numbness in the hand and wrist, which radiates up into the forearm. CTS is the most common of the "entrapment neuropathies"-compression or trauma of the body"s nerves in the hands or feet.
What Are the Symptoms?
Burning, tingling, itching, and/or numbness in the palm of the hand and thumb, index, and middle fingers are most common. Some people with CTS say that their fingers feel useless and swollen, even though little or no swelling is apparent. Since many people sleep with flexed wrists, the symptoms often first appear while sleeping. As symptoms worsen, they may feel tingling during the day. In addition, weakened grip strength may make it difficult to form a fist or grasp small objects. Some people develop wasting of the muscles at the base of the thumb. Some are unable to distinguish hot from cold by touch.
Why Does CTS Develop?
Some people have smaller carpal tunnels than others, which makes the median nerve compression more likely. In others, CTS can develop because of an injury to the wrist that causes swelling, over-activity of the pituitary gland, hypothyroidism, diabetes, inflammatory arthritis, mechanical problems in the wrist joint, poor work ergonomics, repeated use of vibrating hand tools, and fluid retention during pregnancy or menopause.
How Is It Diagnosed?
CTS should be diagnosed and treated early. A standard physical examination of the hands, arms, shoulders, and neck can help determine if your symptoms are related to daily activities or to an underlying disorder.
Your doctor of chiropractic can use other specific tests to try to produce the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. The most common are:
• Pressure-provocative test. A cuff placed at the front of the carpal tunnel is inflated, followed by direct pressure on the median nerve.
• Carpal compression test. Moderate pressure is applied with both thumbs directly on the carpal tunnel and underlying median nerve at the transverse carpal ligament. The test is relatively new.
Laboratory tests and x-rays can reveal diabetes, arthritis, fractures, and other common causes of wrist and hand pain. Sometimes electrodiagnostic tests, such as nerveconduction velocity testing, are used to help confirm the diagnosis. With these tests, small electrodes, placed on your skin, measure the speed at which electrical impulses travel across your wrist. CTS will slow the speed of the impulses and will point your doctor of chiropractic to this diagnosis.
What Is the CTS Treatment?
Initial therapy includes:
• Resting the affected hand and wrist
• Avoiding activities that may worsen symptoms
• Immobilizing the wrist in a splint to avoid further damage from twisting or bending
• Applying cool packs to help reduce swelling from inflammations
Some medications can help with pain control and inflammation. Studies have shown that vitamin B6 supplements may relieve CTS symptoms.
Chiropractic joint manipulation and mobilization of the wrist and hand, stretching and strengthening exercises, soft-tissue mobilization techniques, and even yoga can be helpful. Scientists are also investigating other therapies, such as acupuncture, that may help prevent and treat this disorder.
Occasionally, patients whose symptoms fail to respond to conservative care may require surgery. The surgeon releases the ligament covering the carpal tunnel. The majority of patients recover completely after treatment, and the recurrence rate is low. Proper posture and movement as instructed by your doctor of chiropractic can help prevent CTS recurrences.
How Can CTS Be Prevented?
The American Chiropractic Association recommends the following tips:
• Perform on-the-job conditioning, such as stretching and light exercises.
• Take frequent rest breaks.
• Wear splints to help keep the wrists straight.
• Use fingerless gloves to help keep the hands warm and flexible.
• Use correct posture and wrist position.
• To minimize workplace injuries, jobs can be rotated among workers. Employers can also develop programs in ergonomics-the process of adapting workplace conditions and job demands to workers" physical capabilities.
FREE CARPAL TUNNEL HELP VIDEO
14 Fruits and Vegetables That Provide
14 Fruits and Vegetables That Provide
the Best Protection Against Arthritis
According to the Arthritis Foundation, nearly one out of three Americans has arthritis. Of these 66 million adults, 43 million have been diagnosed with arthritis and another 23 million live with chronic joint symptoms that have not been doctor-diagnosed.
In fact, arthritis is one of the leading causes of disability among Americans over the age of 15, and costs related to the disease cost the U.S. economy over $86 billion a year.
Further, half of the people with arthritis do not believe anything can be done to help them. They are wrong. Chiropractic can help, and read on for more help.
There are more than 100 different types of arthritis.
However, new research into just that is finding that for arthritis protection and relief you may need to look no further than your neighborhood grocery store. A study from the University of Manchester's Medical School, published in the August 2005 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that antioxidants called carotenoids in brightly colored yellow/orange fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory disorders.
How Does it Work?
Oxidation, which produces free radicals in our bodies, is known to play a role in joint damage, such as that seen with rheumatoid arthritis. Antioxidants help to combat free radicals, and by doing so may suppress inflammation along the way, researchers said.
Out of the 25,000 participants in the study, 88 developed cases of inflammatory arthritis. These 88 people had:
• 40 percent lower intake of the antioxidant beta-cryptoxanthin than those who did not develop the disease
• 20 percent lower intake of another antioxidant zeaxanthin
"Those in the top third for beta-cryptoxanthin intake were only half as likely to develop inflammatory polyarthritis as those in the lowest third, and vitamin C was also found to be an important factor," said Dr. Dorothy Pattison, the lead researcher of the study.
According to this study and many others, increasing your intakes of certain fruits and veggies does appear to be a sound way to protect against and fight arthritis. Here are the top 14 fruits and vegetables to consider:
1. Oranges: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study found that a modest increase in the antioxidant beta-cryptoxanthin intake, equivalent to one glass of freshly squeezed orange juice per day, is associated with a reduced risk of developing inflammatory disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis.
2. Berries: Berries are all great sources of antioxidants and vitamin C. Blueberries have been ranked number 1 in terms of antioxidant concentrations, but cranberries, blackberries, strawberries and raspberries are good choices too.
3. Kiwi: One kiwi provides almost double the vitamin C of an orange, according to the California Kiwifruit Commission. Vitamin C is associated with a reduced risk of arthritis.
4. Apples: Cornell University researchers found that apples contain antioxidants that fight inflammation (along with allergies, cancer and viruses).
"It is known that phytonutrients and antioxidants [in fruits and vegetables] have a role in minimizing inflammation," says Carol Henderson, PhD, a registered dietitian.
5. Cherries: According to Eve Campanelli, PhD in Prevention magazine, after drinking two glasses of black cherry juice (four ounces of juice with four ounces of water) twice a day, 85 percent of her patients experienced at least partial relief from their arthritis pain. Further, the effect continued even after the patients stopped drinking the juice.
6. Parsley: Parsley contains beta-carotene, making it a useful ingredient for those with arthritis, says Cherie Calbom, M.S., a certified nutritionist in Kirkland, Washington.
7. Prunes: These dried plums are antioxidant powerhouses. Researchers at the Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston found that prunes had more than twice the antioxidant power than any other fruit or vegetable in their study.
8. Carrots: They're rich in the antioxidants vitamin A and carotenoids.
9. Broccoli: Calbom says broccoli is helpful for arthritis because of its beta-carotene content. It's also a rich source of vitamin C.
10. Pineapple: Pineapple is rich in the enzyme bromelain, a powerful and natural anti-inflammatory agent.
11. Beans: "The protein in beans helps to replace body proteins broken down by inflammation," says Denise Cedar, a Salem, Oregon-based dietitian.
12. Red Grapes: Red grapes are loaded with antioxidants that can help reduce inflammation associated with arthritis (as well as fight heart disease and cancer).
13. Tomatoes: Tomatoes are an excellent source of the antioxidant lycopene, which has been found to help fight degenerative diseases (and reduce the risk of prostate and other cancers). Cooked tomatoes (tomato sauce or paste, marinara sauce, ketchup, etc.) are best when it comes to lycopene.
14. Sweet Potatoes: These are loaded with antioxidant vitamins A, C and E. One half-cup serving provides twice the Recommended Daily Amount of vitamin E.
Juice Plus provides 17 fruits and vegetables to help supply the essential enzymes, phyto-nutrients and anti-oxidants to your body for reducing inflammation and assisting your body with the sufficient quantity of nutrients for optimal functioning. See one of the staff to get your Juice
Plus information.
ORDER JUICE PLUS
the Best Protection Against Arthritis
According to the Arthritis Foundation, nearly one out of three Americans has arthritis. Of these 66 million adults, 43 million have been diagnosed with arthritis and another 23 million live with chronic joint symptoms that have not been doctor-diagnosed.
In fact, arthritis is one of the leading causes of disability among Americans over the age of 15, and costs related to the disease cost the U.S. economy over $86 billion a year.
Further, half of the people with arthritis do not believe anything can be done to help them. They are wrong. Chiropractic can help, and read on for more help.
There are more than 100 different types of arthritis.
However, new research into just that is finding that for arthritis protection and relief you may need to look no further than your neighborhood grocery store. A study from the University of Manchester's Medical School, published in the August 2005 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that antioxidants called carotenoids in brightly colored yellow/orange fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory disorders.
How Does it Work?
Oxidation, which produces free radicals in our bodies, is known to play a role in joint damage, such as that seen with rheumatoid arthritis. Antioxidants help to combat free radicals, and by doing so may suppress inflammation along the way, researchers said.
Out of the 25,000 participants in the study, 88 developed cases of inflammatory arthritis. These 88 people had:
• 40 percent lower intake of the antioxidant beta-cryptoxanthin than those who did not develop the disease
• 20 percent lower intake of another antioxidant zeaxanthin
"Those in the top third for beta-cryptoxanthin intake were only half as likely to develop inflammatory polyarthritis as those in the lowest third, and vitamin C was also found to be an important factor," said Dr. Dorothy Pattison, the lead researcher of the study.
According to this study and many others, increasing your intakes of certain fruits and veggies does appear to be a sound way to protect against and fight arthritis. Here are the top 14 fruits and vegetables to consider:
1. Oranges: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study found that a modest increase in the antioxidant beta-cryptoxanthin intake, equivalent to one glass of freshly squeezed orange juice per day, is associated with a reduced risk of developing inflammatory disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis.
2. Berries: Berries are all great sources of antioxidants and vitamin C. Blueberries have been ranked number 1 in terms of antioxidant concentrations, but cranberries, blackberries, strawberries and raspberries are good choices too.
3. Kiwi: One kiwi provides almost double the vitamin C of an orange, according to the California Kiwifruit Commission. Vitamin C is associated with a reduced risk of arthritis.
4. Apples: Cornell University researchers found that apples contain antioxidants that fight inflammation (along with allergies, cancer and viruses).
"It is known that phytonutrients and antioxidants [in fruits and vegetables] have a role in minimizing inflammation," says Carol Henderson, PhD, a registered dietitian.
5. Cherries: According to Eve Campanelli, PhD in Prevention magazine, after drinking two glasses of black cherry juice (four ounces of juice with four ounces of water) twice a day, 85 percent of her patients experienced at least partial relief from their arthritis pain. Further, the effect continued even after the patients stopped drinking the juice.
6. Parsley: Parsley contains beta-carotene, making it a useful ingredient for those with arthritis, says Cherie Calbom, M.S., a certified nutritionist in Kirkland, Washington.
7. Prunes: These dried plums are antioxidant powerhouses. Researchers at the Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston found that prunes had more than twice the antioxidant power than any other fruit or vegetable in their study.
8. Carrots: They're rich in the antioxidants vitamin A and carotenoids.
9. Broccoli: Calbom says broccoli is helpful for arthritis because of its beta-carotene content. It's also a rich source of vitamin C.
10. Pineapple: Pineapple is rich in the enzyme bromelain, a powerful and natural anti-inflammatory agent.
11. Beans: "The protein in beans helps to replace body proteins broken down by inflammation," says Denise Cedar, a Salem, Oregon-based dietitian.
12. Red Grapes: Red grapes are loaded with antioxidants that can help reduce inflammation associated with arthritis (as well as fight heart disease and cancer).
13. Tomatoes: Tomatoes are an excellent source of the antioxidant lycopene, which has been found to help fight degenerative diseases (and reduce the risk of prostate and other cancers). Cooked tomatoes (tomato sauce or paste, marinara sauce, ketchup, etc.) are best when it comes to lycopene.
14. Sweet Potatoes: These are loaded with antioxidant vitamins A, C and E. One half-cup serving provides twice the Recommended Daily Amount of vitamin E.
Juice Plus provides 17 fruits and vegetables to help supply the essential enzymes, phyto-nutrients and anti-oxidants to your body for reducing inflammation and assisting your body with the sufficient quantity of nutrients for optimal functioning. See one of the staff to get your Juice
Plus information.
ORDER JUICE PLUS
10 Natural Highs
In previous corespondence we've looked at evidence showing that feeling happy is good for our physical health. But what are the conditions for happiness? In our next few newsletters we will look at particular aspects of our lives and examine how they can enhance – or detract from! – psychological wellbeing.
An obvious place to begin is with the workplace – after all, most people will spend a significant proportion of their lives at work. And whilst statistics suggest that that levels of absenteeism due to stress now number 13 million working days each year and are on the rise, unemployment has consistently been shown to have a devastating effect on people's wellbeing, over and above the impact of earning loss.
More than this, however, good work can be one of the most positive drivers of wellbeing. Firstly, jobs provide opportunities to mix with other people and can help to give us a vital sense of identity. Secondly, one of the key strengths of working environments is their ability to engage our interests and abilities, which in turn leads to a sense of purpose, self-worth and satisfaction. US psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has coined the term “flow” to describe the experience of being so immersed in an enjoyable activity that we lose track of time; at its best, work can provide these experiences.
Of course, finding a job exciting and challenging is most likely to occur when there is a good fit between the tasks set by an employer and the skill level of the employee. Results of a recent survey have shown that employees who have a positive view about their managers are “those who are most engaged with their work, perform better and less likely to quit their jobs”. Leadership styles that are supportive, offer constructive feedback and encourage autonomy are important for wellbeing at work.
So, the research indicates that work can make us happy. But it is a complex cocktail of job characteristics and management styles that, in reality, holds the key to our wellbeing.
10 Natural Highs
WARNING: Below are extremely powerful substances. Once you get a taste you will be hooked. They can boost your heart beat, send electric tingles up your spine, cause you to grin and give you the ultimate buzz of your life. Prepare to pop a dose of life's ultimate trip of natural highs.
The good news is you can take as much as you want without having to go through the misery of a hangover. The only side effect you will feel is enthusiasm for life. You will wake up alert, inspired and feel more alive than ever before. There's a reason they say mother knows best. When it comes to feeling maximum intoxication, there are no greater thrillers than those created by Mother Nature.
Too many times we waste our energy searching for titillation in artificial substances when the most potent adrenaline rushes of all are right in front of us. In the quest for spine-chilling excitement we often overlook and ignore all the incredible rushes available at our fingertips free of charge.
There's a reason we crave heart-stirring excitement. It's because our bodies were built to enjoy these experiences. It's remarkable how powerful our four senses are especially, when we maintain perspective on their functions.
Have you ever been punched so hard with enjoyment by listening to your favorite band play live? Have you ever traveled back in time by taking a bite of a home-cooked meal or had your breath taken away from the beauty of a sunset over the mountains? Have you ever started to shake with nervousness when someone you like, smiles back?
These moments are continuously happening. All you need to do is awaken your senses, stop searching and open your eyes. Here's a dose of 10 natural highs that will keep your senses stoned with excitement.
1. Falling in love
2. Appreciating natures beautiful landscape and playing on it
3. Creating something and sharing it with others
4. Performing in front of a crowd
5. Accomplishing a long-term goal
6. Accidentally hearing someone say something nice about you
7. Seeing someone you love accomplish their goals
8. Laughing so hard with your best friend that it hurts
9. Meeting someone you admire
10. Having a really good conversation
An obvious place to begin is with the workplace – after all, most people will spend a significant proportion of their lives at work. And whilst statistics suggest that that levels of absenteeism due to stress now number 13 million working days each year and are on the rise, unemployment has consistently been shown to have a devastating effect on people's wellbeing, over and above the impact of earning loss.
More than this, however, good work can be one of the most positive drivers of wellbeing. Firstly, jobs provide opportunities to mix with other people and can help to give us a vital sense of identity. Secondly, one of the key strengths of working environments is their ability to engage our interests and abilities, which in turn leads to a sense of purpose, self-worth and satisfaction. US psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has coined the term “flow” to describe the experience of being so immersed in an enjoyable activity that we lose track of time; at its best, work can provide these experiences.
Of course, finding a job exciting and challenging is most likely to occur when there is a good fit between the tasks set by an employer and the skill level of the employee. Results of a recent survey have shown that employees who have a positive view about their managers are “those who are most engaged with their work, perform better and less likely to quit their jobs”. Leadership styles that are supportive, offer constructive feedback and encourage autonomy are important for wellbeing at work.
So, the research indicates that work can make us happy. But it is a complex cocktail of job characteristics and management styles that, in reality, holds the key to our wellbeing.
10 Natural Highs
WARNING: Below are extremely powerful substances. Once you get a taste you will be hooked. They can boost your heart beat, send electric tingles up your spine, cause you to grin and give you the ultimate buzz of your life. Prepare to pop a dose of life's ultimate trip of natural highs.
The good news is you can take as much as you want without having to go through the misery of a hangover. The only side effect you will feel is enthusiasm for life. You will wake up alert, inspired and feel more alive than ever before. There's a reason they say mother knows best. When it comes to feeling maximum intoxication, there are no greater thrillers than those created by Mother Nature.
Too many times we waste our energy searching for titillation in artificial substances when the most potent adrenaline rushes of all are right in front of us. In the quest for spine-chilling excitement we often overlook and ignore all the incredible rushes available at our fingertips free of charge.
There's a reason we crave heart-stirring excitement. It's because our bodies were built to enjoy these experiences. It's remarkable how powerful our four senses are especially, when we maintain perspective on their functions.
Have you ever been punched so hard with enjoyment by listening to your favorite band play live? Have you ever traveled back in time by taking a bite of a home-cooked meal or had your breath taken away from the beauty of a sunset over the mountains? Have you ever started to shake with nervousness when someone you like, smiles back?
These moments are continuously happening. All you need to do is awaken your senses, stop searching and open your eyes. Here's a dose of 10 natural highs that will keep your senses stoned with excitement.
1. Falling in love
2. Appreciating natures beautiful landscape and playing on it
3. Creating something and sharing it with others
4. Performing in front of a crowd
5. Accomplishing a long-term goal
6. Accidentally hearing someone say something nice about you
7. Seeing someone you love accomplish their goals
8. Laughing so hard with your best friend that it hurts
9. Meeting someone you admire
10. Having a really good conversation
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
That Something
The Story of
That Something
Written By Dr. B.J. Palmer, D.C., PhC.
or possibly by W.W. Woodbridge
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Then Randolph turned to me.
"Man, write that story you’ve told us. Write it so that every man may read. Send that message out into the world. If men will read that story, read and re-read, until it is written on their memories, if men will believe the message you bring, and then if they will but awaken that something within their souls that now lies asleep – I say if you can make men do this, you will have done more for mankind than any man or any thousand men have done in many, many years. Write it, man, write it word for word as you have told it here, so every man may read. Write it, man, write it."
And so it has been written.
______________
This happened a long, long time ago.
I never see a man limp without thinking of that day.
The sky wept.
No rift of brighter color broke the drabness of it.
I thought the universe wept.
That was my outlook.
The very times were in misery.
Men were out of work.
I was one of them.
I had slept the night before on the cold, cement floor of the city’s jail. I slept as a tired dog sleeps, a dog worn out with a fruitless chase. All of the night before, I had walked, walked, walked – my pride keeping me from this place. And so the day had found me walking, aimlessly, looking only for food, shelter and work. This could not last forever, so that night I had stumbled down the low, narrow hallway of the jail, and been let into a barred cell with a hundred others. And there I had lain as one dead, on the cold, hard floor.
But it is of the day that followed that night in jail that you shall hear.
For that was the day of my life.
It was then I found "That Something."
______________
My feet were very tired. My soul wept with the sky.
I stood, as in a wilderness alone, on the corner of a great thoroughfare in a great city.
And then a man stopped by my side. He was of my height and build. I caught a glimpse of his face. I thought that this man might have been myself, if . . .
But my present need drove out reflections. I laid my hand on his arm. "I am hungry," I said simply.
He turned slowly and looked at me. First his gaze took in every detail of the outer man, from my water-soaked cap to my poor, cracked shoes. And then, through my eyes, he seemed to search my soul.
I stood there ashamed. I laugh when I think of that now, but it was different then.
"Well," he said presently, "suppose you were fed. What then?" I shifted my weight from one tired foot to the other. "I’d try to get a job somewhere," I muttered after a moment. "You’d try?" he asked. "Yes, try," I answered, "although there is little chance. Nobody wants men now. I'll try, sir. But I don't care for that now – it's food I want. I'm hungry. Can you help me?"
"No," he answered, a note of pity in his voice. "I cannot help you. No man can." "But you could feed me," I said, with some petulance in my voice. "It is not food you need!" "What then?" I asked. "That Something," was his reply.
A man joined him. They began talking of matters of mutual interest. I was shuffling away through the drizzling, miserable rain, when he called me back and handed me his card. "Man, go find ‘That Something’," he said, "and when you’ve found it, come to me." "Come to you for what?" I asked. "To thank me," was his answer, and he and his friend passed on.
______________
There were two words that stuck in my memory. "That Something!" I fell to wondering. I turned into a pool room, and found a seat. I sat there thinking. The balls on the tables before me clicked nickels away from men who could ill afford the pleasures of the place. I sat there a long, long time. There was nowhere else to go.
Ahead of me I saw another night in jail. Yet the day seemed longer than the night. It was warm in there. The hum of voices, the regular click, click, click of ivory, the occasional thumping of cue on marble floor – all this in time developed into a dull chorus of monotony. And then I fell asleep.
I believe in God. I believe in miracles. I believe in visions as well. But it is only natural that I should have dreamed of "That Something" – so perhaps it was neither miracle nor vision.
You will think it is a foolish dream; yet it changed my life. That’s reason enough for the telling. You may laugh at it scornfully; then my dream will do you no good. You may see in it what I saw; then you will take your place with the masters of men.
______________
This was my dream: I dreamed that I awoke! That is the most wonderful part of the dream; for in my dream I realized that I had been asleep – a long, long sleep from the very beginning of things – and I saw myself, there in the pool room, asleep. Then I saw myself start, my eyes opened, and I dreamed that I saw.
"What awakened me?" I asked in my dream. "You awakened yourself," answered a voice nearby. I turned about, but no one was near. "Who are you?" I asked. "I am 'That Something'," came the reply. "But where are you?" "I am hidden in your soul."
______________
For some moments I thought over what was said. Then I stammered, "How – how did you get there?" "I was born there." "Why have I not known you were there before?" "No man knows it," answered the voice, "until he awakes." "Are you in other men’s souls, as well?" "There is 'That Something' in every man’s soul, which can move the mountains or dry the seas." "Then you must be Faith!" "Yes," came the answer, "I am Faith, but I am more – I am that which makes men face the fires of hell, and win." "Then you must be Confidence, as well." "Yes, I am more than Confidence – I am that which makes the babbling brooks lift worlds upon their wavelets." "You are Power," I cried. "Yes, I am more than Power," answered the voice. "I am that which makes the wretched failure lift up himself and rule the world." "You are Ambition – I know you now." "Yes, I am all you say – Faith, Confidence, Power, Ambition, and more. For greater than all is ‘That Something.’ I am that which every man must find in his soul or else he will be but a clutter of the earth on which he lives."
"But how can man find you?" "Even as you are finding me now. First you must awaken, then seek, and when you have found you must learn to control . . ." "Control what?" I asked, confused. "‘That Something’ . . . borrow it from your soul and baptize your life with it. Anoint your eyes, that you may see; anoint your ears, that you may hear; anoint your heart, that you may be!"
"But tell me," I cried frantically, for the voice was trailing off to almost nothing, "how can I do this? How? How?" "This is the secret," came the voice to me as the whisper of a gentle breeze, "these words – 'I will'."
And then I awoke with a start. A man was shaking me roughly. "Clear out of here! We ain't running no free rooming house for bums. If you want to sleep, take a sleeper, but get out of here." "I will," I answered unthinkingly, as I turned towards the door. "I will."
My words brought back the dream vividly. I stood in the doorway, peering out into the rain. A boy with a dozen bundles stopped near me to shift his load. "I’ll help you, son," I said, and laughed gladly as I took half his load and started with him down the street. "Gee, mister, dat’s pretty square of you, all right. How far are you going this way?" "Where are you taking these things?" I asked. He told me. "Why, that’s right where I’m going," I answered in mock surprise. And so we hurried on our way.
It was then the clouds overhead began to break. Before we had gone half way, the sun peeped out and the boy laughed with pure delight of it. "By golly, mister, she’s going to be some handsome day tomorrow, ain’t it?" "I will," I answered absently. He looked up at me, startled by my answer, started to ask a question, thought better of it, and, giving me another queer look, trudged on in silence.
When he had delivered his packages, he turned back towards the thoroughfare; and he asked me, with the innocent impertinence of boyhood: "Say, mister, where do you work?" "Why, I’m working for you right now. It’s good to work, don’t you think?" "But ain’t you got no steady job?" "Yes," I answered firmly, "I will." Again he cast a queer look and quickened his pace.
We went together to the store at which he worked. It was the largest in the city. We hurried through a doorway at the rear, and I found myself in a large room. A man stepped up to me and asked me what I wanted. "I have come here to work." "What department? Who sent you?"
There were many men in there, packing boxes. Before I could answer his question, someone called him and he hurried away. I took off my coat, hung it on a nail, and started to work, following the example of those near me. A half hour later, the man who first accosted me passed. "Oh," he said, "so they put you at it while I was gone, did they?" "I’m doing my best, sir," I answered as I drove a nail with a bang.
And so I worked until six o’clock. The sun was very bright outside. When the six o’clock bell rang, the men began filing by the clock. "What about the clock?" I asked the man in charge. "Didn’t they give you a number?" "No." Then I told him my name, he gave me a number, and I punched out.
The boy was waiting for me at the door. "How’d you get the job?" he asked curiously. "That was secured for me before I showed up there." "Who got it for you?" "‘That Something’," was my answer. "Aw, quit stringing me. How’d you get on? I seen a dozen men trying to get on that work this morning and they was all turned down." "But," I explained with a smile, "they had never found 'That Something'." He again favored me with a queer look.
"Where do you live?" he asked finally. "I am going to find a place now." "Well, my maw keeps a boarding house – why don’t you come up to my place?"
There was but one other boarder. He was a professor of a number of ology branches at a nearby denominational college. He was a little man, with unreasonable hair on his face and very little on his head. He wore thick glasses perched on a beaked nose. His eyes were small and black like shoe buttons. He watched me as I ate. When the meal was finished, he invited me to sit with him in his room.
"I hope you don’t mind my prying," said he, "but I have been trying to figure you out." "Yes?" "I have come to the conclusion that you are a student of sociology." I laughed. "Bobby tells us you are packing boxes down at his store." I nodded assent. "Then of course it is for the study of the conditions of the working masses that you are down there." "Yes," I admitted, "I am very much interested in conditions of the masses right now." "Then you can help me; I am writing a series of papers on that very subject. Will you answer me this, please. What is it that keeps the underdog down? What is it that the upper ten possess that the under ten thousand do not have?" "Why, it’s ‘That Something,’" I answered. "What do you mean? Education? Environment?"
Before my mind was flashed the picture of my boyhood. I saw my room on the top floor of a city block building. I saw myself sleeping in the drygoods boxes in alleys, and by the boilers in boats on the river. Yes, I was an alley-cat and a wharf-rat. I saw myself placed at the mercy of five stepmothers and a father engrossed in his science. I saw myself working, gaining little or no schooling. And then, in the twinkling of an eye, the scene changed and I saw that awful room, with a hundred men lying around me on the cold, hard floor.
"No," I answered thoughtfully, "it is neither of those things. ‘That Something' is entirely different. I don’t know just what it is, but I am going to find it, pin it down, and then I will tell you more of it."
As I looked into his face, I noticed the same puzzled expression the boy had worn. So, by mutual consent, the subject was changed and we talked of trivial things.
For a week or more, I packed boxes and drove nails. I was a good packer. I made 'That Something' work with me all the time.
______________
One day, I noticed the shipping clerk had more work than he could handle. There were idle men in the department. They could do nothing until he checked up to them.
I laid down my hammer, walked over to where he stood, and said, "I am to help you this afternoon." He looked up with a start. "Oh," he exclaimed. "Well, that’s good. I’m glad they have sense enough to give me somebody to help out, at last." He handed me a bunch of papers and made room for me at the desk.
The superintendent of the department was out of the room at the time. Presently he returned and glanced at me curiously. "So they’ve got you helping Dickey?" he said. I shrugged my shoulders without looking up, and continued figuring.
When I left the room that night, the superintendent of the department joined me. "Say," he said, "I never did get onto how you were put in there. What’s the idea? Working through to learn the business?" "Yes," I answered with confidence, "just that. I am to learn every detail of it." "I thought something of the kind. To which one of ‘em are you related?" "I do not think it wise to discuss that at this time," was my answer. "Oh sure," he hastened to say, "I don't mean to be inquisitive. Anything I can do to help you, let me know." And then he left me.
The shipping clerk was a bright young fellow. I liked him, and he liked me. One day, shortly after I had received my first raise in wages, he came to me with a problem. That night I stayed down with him and we worked it out together. We soon got in the habit of staying down one night each week, working over his systems.
He lacked originality. I helped him. He had been doing things just like the fellow before him. The business had been growing rapidly – practically doubled. We worked out an improved system. We drew up forms; planned out every detail. One day he carried our plans to the man in authority.
There came up a question which the shipping clerk did not quite understand, so they sent for me. My approach was far different from that of the sniveling beggar who had asked the man on the street corner for food.
The man in authority looked at me in surprise. "Who are you?" I handed him my card. "You are packing boxes?" he asked in surprise. "I am in the packing room – temporarily."
Then he went over the shipping clerk’s plans in detail. "I think they’re all right. I’ll have these forms sent to the printer in the morning," said the man in authority.
As we turned to leave the office, he called me back. "How long have you been in the packing rooms?" "Sixty-three days," I answered. "You’ve been there long enough. There is nothing more for you to learn there, is there?" "No." He studied me for a while in silence. "Funny neither of them has said anything about you," he said at length, speaking half to himself. "I suppose the old man’s idea was for you to work out your own salvation – is that it?" "In a way," I replied. "What any man accomplishes must eventually come from ‘That Something’ within him."
He pondered this for a moment. Then he scrawled a few words on a piece of paper. "Hand that to Perkins in the Auditing Department tomorrow morning and we’ll see how you show up there." I thanked him and turned to leave the room. "And say," calling me back; "better forget about my having said anything about your relations with the old man. After all, you see, it’s none of my business." "Certainly," I answered, and left the room.
Three month’s later, I left Bob’s mother’s boarding house. It hurt me to do this. She had been almost a mother to me. There was a home life about the place which I had learned to love. Even the little hairy Ology Professor and his fanciful theories had become dear to me. But ‘That Something’ demanded that I move on. So I moved on up the hill.
I arranged for a room at a quiet boarding house. It was at the suggestion of the man in authority that I chose his boarding house. So we became acquaintances, then friends; and never once did the man in authority mention the fact that I was "learning the business."
______________
And so a year rolled ‘round. It was the time Perkins took his vacation. I was given the place until he returned. One day the old man came into the office. He looked at me keenly. Soon the man in authority came in; the old man called him aside. I overheard a portion of their conversation. "Who’s the man at Perkins’ desk?" the old man asked. The man in authority mentioned my name. "Funny I never heard of him before." The man in authority gasped. The rest was spoken in guarded tones, and I heard no word further.
That night, the man in authority came into my sitting room.
"Say," he began, "you’ve certainly got me locoed or something of the sort. I have been figuring you all along as a ward or a long lost cousin of the old man. Now, today he comes in and jumps on me about putting you in this place of responsibility without first knowing all about you. Of course, I know you’re all right but, by Jupiter, I’m placed in a deucedly unholy kind of light."
"What’s all the trouble?" I asked. "My work going wrong?"
"I should say not; but that’s aside from the question. What’s got me going is how the dickens you did it. How you got to hold down the most responsible job on the works without anybody knowing just what you really are. Tell me about yourself, will you?"
"I was born of poor but honest parents in a small coal-mining town of What Cheer, Iowa, in the year 1881. My father peddled fish in a wheelbarrow; my mother died when I was one and one-half years old –".
"Oh, cut that bunk. Tell me to whom you are related, or who is backing you up. It’s pull that counts these days. Who gave you your start with the company?"
______________
I leaned back in my leather Morris chair. Memory brought back the picture of that drab day of just one year before. And that brought to my mind the card that had been given me.
I had not thought of it before until that minute. I arose, went to a closet where hung the very suit I had worn on that eventful day. I had kept it as a souvenir of my awakening. As I had hoped, the card was in a pocket of the shabby vest. For the first time, I read the name engraved thereon:
MATTHEW MORRISON RANDOLPH
BONDS
I handed the card to the man in authority. He read it with wandering eyes. Now, Randolph was the silent partner of the business.
Impossible coincidence? You may think so. I know men who believe success is impossible. And to them, success is impossible. And so perhaps you believe this impossible. But I tell you it as it happened.
"Funny Randolph never mentioned your name to the old man. Anyway, I wish I’d known this when he was talking about you today." "I’m glad you didn’t," I answered with a short laugh. "Why?" he asked, puzzled. "Go there to the phone and call up Randolph. I think he’ll tell you why." "But–" he began. "Go on and call him up. I want you to," I insisted.
In a moment, Randolph was on the line.
"Ask him," I insisted. The man in authority did so. I watched the changing expressions on his face. "You-say-you-never-heard-of-the-man!" gasped the man in authority. "Why, he’s holding down the most responsible job on the place."
"Better let me talk to Mr. Randolph," I interrupted. His hand was trembling as he surrendered the phone.
"Mr. Randolph," I said, "I know you do not remember my name, for I am quite sure you have never heard it. You may remember, however, one miserable day a year ago when a beggar asked you for food."
"Well, go on," came a crisp voice over the phone.
"You may also remember telling that beggar that it was not food he needed – it was ‘That Something,’ and that alone. Well, Mr. Randolph, I am the beggar to whom you spoke and I have found 'That Something.’ I have learned to use it, and I want to thank you for having shown me the way. When may I have the opportunity of telling you about it?"
An hour later the story you have just heard was told to a strange trio: the man in authority, the professor of ologies, and Matthew Morrison Randolph. From time to time, as I told the tale, Randolph nodded his head in approval and I noticed a strange light begin to glow in the little professor’s eyes. When I had finished, we sat for a long time in silence, broken at last by Randolph, who said:
"And now tell me just what you think ‘That Something’ really is?"
I shook my head in dismay. "You folks know as much as I do about it," I answered. "But of this one thing I am convinced, through and through. It is real human power, as truly real as the commercial electrical current. It is the power of the inner man, the fuel of the soul machine. It is the one thing necessary. Until we awaken ‘That Something’ of the soul, we bear on our muscles those who have found ‘That Something.’ And we bear them on up the mountain to take their places among the masters of men. ‘That Something’ lies dormant in every soul until aroused. With many, it sleeps until the last great sleep. Sometimes it does not wake until the man stands tottering on the border of the grave. Sometimes it is found by the child playing by its mother’s knee. A man’s success depends alone on ‘That Something.’ ‘That Something’ of his soul. Abraham Lincoln found it when a lad. It warmed the cold floor on which he lay and studied. It added light to the flickering glow of the wood fire, that he might see to read. It spurred him on, and on, and on. ‘That Something’ is an awful force. It made of a puny, Corsican the ruler of the world! It made of a thin-chested bookkeeper the money king of a great country! It made Edison the great man of his age! It made Carnegie! It made Woodrow Wilson! It made Roosevelt! It can make you! It is now in your soul! Awaken it – now! ‘That Something’."
______________
Again the silence followed. I watched the professor of many ologies. I saw the kindled fires in his eyes gradually die out. He shook his head wearily. "No, it can’t be done; it can’t be done," he murmured. "I have drunk deeply of the cup of life and I am now drinking the dregs. The cup is filled but once, and when it is gone there’s nothing left but the dregs of old age and poverty."
"You fool," cried Randolph, leaning forward and shaking the little man roughly. "You almost had ‘That Something’ in your power, and now you sing it back to sleep with your silly song of pessimism. It’s the false philosophy, which such as you sing, which has kept men in the ruts of their own digging for centuries past. Wake, man, wake! Wake ‘That Something’ within your soul!"
The two men sat looking deeply into each other’s eyes. It was the little man who broke the silence. "Thank you, Randolph," he said quietly. "You are right. I will."
______________
Then Randolph turned to me.
"Man, write that story you’ve told us. Write it so that every man may read. Send that message out into the world. If men will read that story, read and reread, until it is written on their memories; if men will believe the message you bring, and then if they will but awaken that something within their souls that now lies asleep – I say if you can make men do this, you will have done more for mankind than any man or any thousand men have done in many, many years. Write it, man, write it word for word as you have told it here, so every man my read. Write it, man, write it!"
And so it has been written.
You who have heard it through, I pray that you may hear it every word again and again until ‘That Something’ of your souls has been aroused, and you have taken your places among the rulers of the world.
THE END
WHICH IS
THE BEGINNING.
That Something
Written By Dr. B.J. Palmer, D.C., PhC.
or possibly by W.W. Woodbridge
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Then Randolph turned to me.
"Man, write that story you’ve told us. Write it so that every man may read. Send that message out into the world. If men will read that story, read and re-read, until it is written on their memories, if men will believe the message you bring, and then if they will but awaken that something within their souls that now lies asleep – I say if you can make men do this, you will have done more for mankind than any man or any thousand men have done in many, many years. Write it, man, write it word for word as you have told it here, so every man may read. Write it, man, write it."
And so it has been written.
______________
This happened a long, long time ago.
I never see a man limp without thinking of that day.
The sky wept.
No rift of brighter color broke the drabness of it.
I thought the universe wept.
That was my outlook.
The very times were in misery.
Men were out of work.
I was one of them.
I had slept the night before on the cold, cement floor of the city’s jail. I slept as a tired dog sleeps, a dog worn out with a fruitless chase. All of the night before, I had walked, walked, walked – my pride keeping me from this place. And so the day had found me walking, aimlessly, looking only for food, shelter and work. This could not last forever, so that night I had stumbled down the low, narrow hallway of the jail, and been let into a barred cell with a hundred others. And there I had lain as one dead, on the cold, hard floor.
But it is of the day that followed that night in jail that you shall hear.
For that was the day of my life.
It was then I found "That Something."
______________
My feet were very tired. My soul wept with the sky.
I stood, as in a wilderness alone, on the corner of a great thoroughfare in a great city.
And then a man stopped by my side. He was of my height and build. I caught a glimpse of his face. I thought that this man might have been myself, if . . .
But my present need drove out reflections. I laid my hand on his arm. "I am hungry," I said simply.
He turned slowly and looked at me. First his gaze took in every detail of the outer man, from my water-soaked cap to my poor, cracked shoes. And then, through my eyes, he seemed to search my soul.
I stood there ashamed. I laugh when I think of that now, but it was different then.
"Well," he said presently, "suppose you were fed. What then?" I shifted my weight from one tired foot to the other. "I’d try to get a job somewhere," I muttered after a moment. "You’d try?" he asked. "Yes, try," I answered, "although there is little chance. Nobody wants men now. I'll try, sir. But I don't care for that now – it's food I want. I'm hungry. Can you help me?"
"No," he answered, a note of pity in his voice. "I cannot help you. No man can." "But you could feed me," I said, with some petulance in my voice. "It is not food you need!" "What then?" I asked. "That Something," was his reply.
A man joined him. They began talking of matters of mutual interest. I was shuffling away through the drizzling, miserable rain, when he called me back and handed me his card. "Man, go find ‘That Something’," he said, "and when you’ve found it, come to me." "Come to you for what?" I asked. "To thank me," was his answer, and he and his friend passed on.
______________
There were two words that stuck in my memory. "That Something!" I fell to wondering. I turned into a pool room, and found a seat. I sat there thinking. The balls on the tables before me clicked nickels away from men who could ill afford the pleasures of the place. I sat there a long, long time. There was nowhere else to go.
Ahead of me I saw another night in jail. Yet the day seemed longer than the night. It was warm in there. The hum of voices, the regular click, click, click of ivory, the occasional thumping of cue on marble floor – all this in time developed into a dull chorus of monotony. And then I fell asleep.
I believe in God. I believe in miracles. I believe in visions as well. But it is only natural that I should have dreamed of "That Something" – so perhaps it was neither miracle nor vision.
You will think it is a foolish dream; yet it changed my life. That’s reason enough for the telling. You may laugh at it scornfully; then my dream will do you no good. You may see in it what I saw; then you will take your place with the masters of men.
______________
This was my dream: I dreamed that I awoke! That is the most wonderful part of the dream; for in my dream I realized that I had been asleep – a long, long sleep from the very beginning of things – and I saw myself, there in the pool room, asleep. Then I saw myself start, my eyes opened, and I dreamed that I saw.
"What awakened me?" I asked in my dream. "You awakened yourself," answered a voice nearby. I turned about, but no one was near. "Who are you?" I asked. "I am 'That Something'," came the reply. "But where are you?" "I am hidden in your soul."
______________
For some moments I thought over what was said. Then I stammered, "How – how did you get there?" "I was born there." "Why have I not known you were there before?" "No man knows it," answered the voice, "until he awakes." "Are you in other men’s souls, as well?" "There is 'That Something' in every man’s soul, which can move the mountains or dry the seas." "Then you must be Faith!" "Yes," came the answer, "I am Faith, but I am more – I am that which makes men face the fires of hell, and win." "Then you must be Confidence, as well." "Yes, I am more than Confidence – I am that which makes the babbling brooks lift worlds upon their wavelets." "You are Power," I cried. "Yes, I am more than Power," answered the voice. "I am that which makes the wretched failure lift up himself and rule the world." "You are Ambition – I know you now." "Yes, I am all you say – Faith, Confidence, Power, Ambition, and more. For greater than all is ‘That Something.’ I am that which every man must find in his soul or else he will be but a clutter of the earth on which he lives."
"But how can man find you?" "Even as you are finding me now. First you must awaken, then seek, and when you have found you must learn to control . . ." "Control what?" I asked, confused. "‘That Something’ . . . borrow it from your soul and baptize your life with it. Anoint your eyes, that you may see; anoint your ears, that you may hear; anoint your heart, that you may be!"
"But tell me," I cried frantically, for the voice was trailing off to almost nothing, "how can I do this? How? How?" "This is the secret," came the voice to me as the whisper of a gentle breeze, "these words – 'I will'."
And then I awoke with a start. A man was shaking me roughly. "Clear out of here! We ain't running no free rooming house for bums. If you want to sleep, take a sleeper, but get out of here." "I will," I answered unthinkingly, as I turned towards the door. "I will."
My words brought back the dream vividly. I stood in the doorway, peering out into the rain. A boy with a dozen bundles stopped near me to shift his load. "I’ll help you, son," I said, and laughed gladly as I took half his load and started with him down the street. "Gee, mister, dat’s pretty square of you, all right. How far are you going this way?" "Where are you taking these things?" I asked. He told me. "Why, that’s right where I’m going," I answered in mock surprise. And so we hurried on our way.
It was then the clouds overhead began to break. Before we had gone half way, the sun peeped out and the boy laughed with pure delight of it. "By golly, mister, she’s going to be some handsome day tomorrow, ain’t it?" "I will," I answered absently. He looked up at me, startled by my answer, started to ask a question, thought better of it, and, giving me another queer look, trudged on in silence.
When he had delivered his packages, he turned back towards the thoroughfare; and he asked me, with the innocent impertinence of boyhood: "Say, mister, where do you work?" "Why, I’m working for you right now. It’s good to work, don’t you think?" "But ain’t you got no steady job?" "Yes," I answered firmly, "I will." Again he cast a queer look and quickened his pace.
We went together to the store at which he worked. It was the largest in the city. We hurried through a doorway at the rear, and I found myself in a large room. A man stepped up to me and asked me what I wanted. "I have come here to work." "What department? Who sent you?"
There were many men in there, packing boxes. Before I could answer his question, someone called him and he hurried away. I took off my coat, hung it on a nail, and started to work, following the example of those near me. A half hour later, the man who first accosted me passed. "Oh," he said, "so they put you at it while I was gone, did they?" "I’m doing my best, sir," I answered as I drove a nail with a bang.
And so I worked until six o’clock. The sun was very bright outside. When the six o’clock bell rang, the men began filing by the clock. "What about the clock?" I asked the man in charge. "Didn’t they give you a number?" "No." Then I told him my name, he gave me a number, and I punched out.
The boy was waiting for me at the door. "How’d you get the job?" he asked curiously. "That was secured for me before I showed up there." "Who got it for you?" "‘That Something’," was my answer. "Aw, quit stringing me. How’d you get on? I seen a dozen men trying to get on that work this morning and they was all turned down." "But," I explained with a smile, "they had never found 'That Something'." He again favored me with a queer look.
"Where do you live?" he asked finally. "I am going to find a place now." "Well, my maw keeps a boarding house – why don’t you come up to my place?"
There was but one other boarder. He was a professor of a number of ology branches at a nearby denominational college. He was a little man, with unreasonable hair on his face and very little on his head. He wore thick glasses perched on a beaked nose. His eyes were small and black like shoe buttons. He watched me as I ate. When the meal was finished, he invited me to sit with him in his room.
"I hope you don’t mind my prying," said he, "but I have been trying to figure you out." "Yes?" "I have come to the conclusion that you are a student of sociology." I laughed. "Bobby tells us you are packing boxes down at his store." I nodded assent. "Then of course it is for the study of the conditions of the working masses that you are down there." "Yes," I admitted, "I am very much interested in conditions of the masses right now." "Then you can help me; I am writing a series of papers on that very subject. Will you answer me this, please. What is it that keeps the underdog down? What is it that the upper ten possess that the under ten thousand do not have?" "Why, it’s ‘That Something,’" I answered. "What do you mean? Education? Environment?"
Before my mind was flashed the picture of my boyhood. I saw my room on the top floor of a city block building. I saw myself sleeping in the drygoods boxes in alleys, and by the boilers in boats on the river. Yes, I was an alley-cat and a wharf-rat. I saw myself placed at the mercy of five stepmothers and a father engrossed in his science. I saw myself working, gaining little or no schooling. And then, in the twinkling of an eye, the scene changed and I saw that awful room, with a hundred men lying around me on the cold, hard floor.
"No," I answered thoughtfully, "it is neither of those things. ‘That Something' is entirely different. I don’t know just what it is, but I am going to find it, pin it down, and then I will tell you more of it."
As I looked into his face, I noticed the same puzzled expression the boy had worn. So, by mutual consent, the subject was changed and we talked of trivial things.
For a week or more, I packed boxes and drove nails. I was a good packer. I made 'That Something' work with me all the time.
______________
One day, I noticed the shipping clerk had more work than he could handle. There were idle men in the department. They could do nothing until he checked up to them.
I laid down my hammer, walked over to where he stood, and said, "I am to help you this afternoon." He looked up with a start. "Oh," he exclaimed. "Well, that’s good. I’m glad they have sense enough to give me somebody to help out, at last." He handed me a bunch of papers and made room for me at the desk.
The superintendent of the department was out of the room at the time. Presently he returned and glanced at me curiously. "So they’ve got you helping Dickey?" he said. I shrugged my shoulders without looking up, and continued figuring.
When I left the room that night, the superintendent of the department joined me. "Say," he said, "I never did get onto how you were put in there. What’s the idea? Working through to learn the business?" "Yes," I answered with confidence, "just that. I am to learn every detail of it." "I thought something of the kind. To which one of ‘em are you related?" "I do not think it wise to discuss that at this time," was my answer. "Oh sure," he hastened to say, "I don't mean to be inquisitive. Anything I can do to help you, let me know." And then he left me.
The shipping clerk was a bright young fellow. I liked him, and he liked me. One day, shortly after I had received my first raise in wages, he came to me with a problem. That night I stayed down with him and we worked it out together. We soon got in the habit of staying down one night each week, working over his systems.
He lacked originality. I helped him. He had been doing things just like the fellow before him. The business had been growing rapidly – practically doubled. We worked out an improved system. We drew up forms; planned out every detail. One day he carried our plans to the man in authority.
There came up a question which the shipping clerk did not quite understand, so they sent for me. My approach was far different from that of the sniveling beggar who had asked the man on the street corner for food.
The man in authority looked at me in surprise. "Who are you?" I handed him my card. "You are packing boxes?" he asked in surprise. "I am in the packing room – temporarily."
Then he went over the shipping clerk’s plans in detail. "I think they’re all right. I’ll have these forms sent to the printer in the morning," said the man in authority.
As we turned to leave the office, he called me back. "How long have you been in the packing rooms?" "Sixty-three days," I answered. "You’ve been there long enough. There is nothing more for you to learn there, is there?" "No." He studied me for a while in silence. "Funny neither of them has said anything about you," he said at length, speaking half to himself. "I suppose the old man’s idea was for you to work out your own salvation – is that it?" "In a way," I replied. "What any man accomplishes must eventually come from ‘That Something’ within him."
He pondered this for a moment. Then he scrawled a few words on a piece of paper. "Hand that to Perkins in the Auditing Department tomorrow morning and we’ll see how you show up there." I thanked him and turned to leave the room. "And say," calling me back; "better forget about my having said anything about your relations with the old man. After all, you see, it’s none of my business." "Certainly," I answered, and left the room.
Three month’s later, I left Bob’s mother’s boarding house. It hurt me to do this. She had been almost a mother to me. There was a home life about the place which I had learned to love. Even the little hairy Ology Professor and his fanciful theories had become dear to me. But ‘That Something’ demanded that I move on. So I moved on up the hill.
I arranged for a room at a quiet boarding house. It was at the suggestion of the man in authority that I chose his boarding house. So we became acquaintances, then friends; and never once did the man in authority mention the fact that I was "learning the business."
______________
And so a year rolled ‘round. It was the time Perkins took his vacation. I was given the place until he returned. One day the old man came into the office. He looked at me keenly. Soon the man in authority came in; the old man called him aside. I overheard a portion of their conversation. "Who’s the man at Perkins’ desk?" the old man asked. The man in authority mentioned my name. "Funny I never heard of him before." The man in authority gasped. The rest was spoken in guarded tones, and I heard no word further.
That night, the man in authority came into my sitting room.
"Say," he began, "you’ve certainly got me locoed or something of the sort. I have been figuring you all along as a ward or a long lost cousin of the old man. Now, today he comes in and jumps on me about putting you in this place of responsibility without first knowing all about you. Of course, I know you’re all right but, by Jupiter, I’m placed in a deucedly unholy kind of light."
"What’s all the trouble?" I asked. "My work going wrong?"
"I should say not; but that’s aside from the question. What’s got me going is how the dickens you did it. How you got to hold down the most responsible job on the works without anybody knowing just what you really are. Tell me about yourself, will you?"
"I was born of poor but honest parents in a small coal-mining town of What Cheer, Iowa, in the year 1881. My father peddled fish in a wheelbarrow; my mother died when I was one and one-half years old –".
"Oh, cut that bunk. Tell me to whom you are related, or who is backing you up. It’s pull that counts these days. Who gave you your start with the company?"
______________
I leaned back in my leather Morris chair. Memory brought back the picture of that drab day of just one year before. And that brought to my mind the card that had been given me.
I had not thought of it before until that minute. I arose, went to a closet where hung the very suit I had worn on that eventful day. I had kept it as a souvenir of my awakening. As I had hoped, the card was in a pocket of the shabby vest. For the first time, I read the name engraved thereon:
MATTHEW MORRISON RANDOLPH
BONDS
I handed the card to the man in authority. He read it with wandering eyes. Now, Randolph was the silent partner of the business.
Impossible coincidence? You may think so. I know men who believe success is impossible. And to them, success is impossible. And so perhaps you believe this impossible. But I tell you it as it happened.
"Funny Randolph never mentioned your name to the old man. Anyway, I wish I’d known this when he was talking about you today." "I’m glad you didn’t," I answered with a short laugh. "Why?" he asked, puzzled. "Go there to the phone and call up Randolph. I think he’ll tell you why." "But–" he began. "Go on and call him up. I want you to," I insisted.
In a moment, Randolph was on the line.
"Ask him," I insisted. The man in authority did so. I watched the changing expressions on his face. "You-say-you-never-heard-of-the-man!" gasped the man in authority. "Why, he’s holding down the most responsible job on the place."
"Better let me talk to Mr. Randolph," I interrupted. His hand was trembling as he surrendered the phone.
"Mr. Randolph," I said, "I know you do not remember my name, for I am quite sure you have never heard it. You may remember, however, one miserable day a year ago when a beggar asked you for food."
"Well, go on," came a crisp voice over the phone.
"You may also remember telling that beggar that it was not food he needed – it was ‘That Something,’ and that alone. Well, Mr. Randolph, I am the beggar to whom you spoke and I have found 'That Something.’ I have learned to use it, and I want to thank you for having shown me the way. When may I have the opportunity of telling you about it?"
An hour later the story you have just heard was told to a strange trio: the man in authority, the professor of ologies, and Matthew Morrison Randolph. From time to time, as I told the tale, Randolph nodded his head in approval and I noticed a strange light begin to glow in the little professor’s eyes. When I had finished, we sat for a long time in silence, broken at last by Randolph, who said:
"And now tell me just what you think ‘That Something’ really is?"
I shook my head in dismay. "You folks know as much as I do about it," I answered. "But of this one thing I am convinced, through and through. It is real human power, as truly real as the commercial electrical current. It is the power of the inner man, the fuel of the soul machine. It is the one thing necessary. Until we awaken ‘That Something’ of the soul, we bear on our muscles those who have found ‘That Something.’ And we bear them on up the mountain to take their places among the masters of men. ‘That Something’ lies dormant in every soul until aroused. With many, it sleeps until the last great sleep. Sometimes it does not wake until the man stands tottering on the border of the grave. Sometimes it is found by the child playing by its mother’s knee. A man’s success depends alone on ‘That Something.’ ‘That Something’ of his soul. Abraham Lincoln found it when a lad. It warmed the cold floor on which he lay and studied. It added light to the flickering glow of the wood fire, that he might see to read. It spurred him on, and on, and on. ‘That Something’ is an awful force. It made of a puny, Corsican the ruler of the world! It made of a thin-chested bookkeeper the money king of a great country! It made Edison the great man of his age! It made Carnegie! It made Woodrow Wilson! It made Roosevelt! It can make you! It is now in your soul! Awaken it – now! ‘That Something’."
______________
Again the silence followed. I watched the professor of many ologies. I saw the kindled fires in his eyes gradually die out. He shook his head wearily. "No, it can’t be done; it can’t be done," he murmured. "I have drunk deeply of the cup of life and I am now drinking the dregs. The cup is filled but once, and when it is gone there’s nothing left but the dregs of old age and poverty."
"You fool," cried Randolph, leaning forward and shaking the little man roughly. "You almost had ‘That Something’ in your power, and now you sing it back to sleep with your silly song of pessimism. It’s the false philosophy, which such as you sing, which has kept men in the ruts of their own digging for centuries past. Wake, man, wake! Wake ‘That Something’ within your soul!"
The two men sat looking deeply into each other’s eyes. It was the little man who broke the silence. "Thank you, Randolph," he said quietly. "You are right. I will."
______________
Then Randolph turned to me.
"Man, write that story you’ve told us. Write it so that every man may read. Send that message out into the world. If men will read that story, read and reread, until it is written on their memories; if men will believe the message you bring, and then if they will but awaken that something within their souls that now lies asleep – I say if you can make men do this, you will have done more for mankind than any man or any thousand men have done in many, many years. Write it, man, write it word for word as you have told it here, so every man my read. Write it, man, write it!"
And so it has been written.
You who have heard it through, I pray that you may hear it every word again and again until ‘That Something’ of your souls has been aroused, and you have taken your places among the rulers of the world.
THE END
WHICH IS
THE BEGINNING.
Monday, May 18, 2009
What About Listening to your body?
Have you ever heard of having your stomach pumped? For years I thought that meant to stick a tube down your throat and suck out the contents??? But, what actually happens is they pump in activated charcoal in a slurry liquid form. Yuck! But the reason they do that is because charchol absorbs what it comes in contact with. So if you've ingested poison, overdosed on drugs, or have been given something toxic - pump in the charcoal. It's part of the "Universal Antidote". The charcoal will absorb the noxious substance.
Okay, so what about listening to your body? So often people are creatures of comfort. If you have an episode of nausea - and let's say you've got a stomach virus, or perhaps a little case of food poison. Your body's natural tendency is to initiate that vomit reflex. Why? to get the yuck out as fast as possible. Vomitting is your body's way of getting something irritating, toxic or noxious out pdq. BUT who likes to vomit? So what we've been conditioned to do is to "take something" to stop the unpleasant vomitting. But, what have you done? Stop your body from doing it's job in the natural recovery process. Now, the vomitting stops, then the noxious substance doesn't get out, but passes a little farther down the tube. Then oh, no! here comes the diarrhea. It may take a week to recover from the stomach "bug".
What About Listening TO Your Body? Recognize the innate intelligence and wisdom of the body in attempting to rid itself of toxins. How can you assist? Instead of interfering? Charcoal! Perhaps keep some activated charcoal in capsule form in your medicine kit. No charcaol - no worries; just burn some toast (black) scrape the charcoal off onto a cup, add a little water to make a slurry & drink it down. What happens is the charcoal absorbs the toxins (virus, poisons, etc) and it will stop the vommitting and will pass within 24 hours out, no diarrhea either.
So next time the nausea & vommiting begins reach for the charcoal. Work with your body instead of against it.
Okay, so what about listening to your body? So often people are creatures of comfort. If you have an episode of nausea - and let's say you've got a stomach virus, or perhaps a little case of food poison. Your body's natural tendency is to initiate that vomit reflex. Why? to get the yuck out as fast as possible. Vomitting is your body's way of getting something irritating, toxic or noxious out pdq. BUT who likes to vomit? So what we've been conditioned to do is to "take something" to stop the unpleasant vomitting. But, what have you done? Stop your body from doing it's job in the natural recovery process. Now, the vomitting stops, then the noxious substance doesn't get out, but passes a little farther down the tube. Then oh, no! here comes the diarrhea. It may take a week to recover from the stomach "bug".
What About Listening TO Your Body? Recognize the innate intelligence and wisdom of the body in attempting to rid itself of toxins. How can you assist? Instead of interfering? Charcoal! Perhaps keep some activated charcoal in capsule form in your medicine kit. No charcaol - no worries; just burn some toast (black) scrape the charcoal off onto a cup, add a little water to make a slurry & drink it down. What happens is the charcoal absorbs the toxins (virus, poisons, etc) and it will stop the vommitting and will pass within 24 hours out, no diarrhea either.
So next time the nausea & vommiting begins reach for the charcoal. Work with your body instead of against it.
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