Unfortunately, there are a lot of people out there claiming to give psychic advice in a dishonest way.

Notice that I say “claiming to give psychic advice”. I believe that everyone has some psychic ability, so even if the person is not “for real’ they may get things right without even knowing it. All of us can see through the veils a little bit here and there. Some of us are gifted with being aware of that ability since childhood, and some of us have to work harder to find and develop it.

The sad truth is, there are many scammers out there who just want your money, and do not even believe in what there are doing. They have simply learned how to bluff their way through readings.

There are a few precautions you can take to try not to get scammed.

• Go by word of mouth. Try to find someone who has already seen this person and believes in them.
• If you cannot find someone who has had a reading with the person, at least try to get a look at a picture of them, and find some testimonials.
• Find a way to speak with or communicate with the person before the reading. Especially, if you are getting an on-line reading. If you cannot get an answer by email or phone before paying for the reading, then you may not even be dealing with a real person. Have they addressed you by name in the email, and responded to any questions you had about setting up the reading? If not, you may be getting a computer generated or standard reading. The exact same reading may be sent out to hundreds of people.
• Does this person seem genuinely interested in helping others, or are they just trying to sell you a reading. Many psychics (or in my opinion, the better ones) do some kind of charity or healing work.
• Are they using high pressure sales tactics? I’ll tell you right now,that the good ones don’t need to use pressure to get you to come for a reading. You will be attracted to them if you are meant to hear the guidance they have to offer. The universe directs us to the people we need in our lives. I believe if someone is not really attracted to have a reading with me, then I should not read for them. I have worked psychic fairs, and when I was asked questions about other psychics that I was working near I would be happy to answer them. I may even recommend a reading with one of my “competitors”. They may make a better connection with someone else, or perhaps the time is just not right for the two of us to work together. Someone who is truly guided by spirit will help you to find what is right for you, not what is for their own benefit.
• Once you are into the reading, there will be some clues about whether or not this person is for real. For example, a psychic may start telling you about your personality, or the personalities of those close to you. They may also tell you about things that have happened in the past. This is not a way of taking up time in the reading. This is how the connection is formed between yourself and the reader. It also gives you a valuable tool in knowing if the psychic is picking up on you and your situation. If they are able to tell you about things that have happened in the past, or about things that are happening now, they are most likely authentic. If they only speak of things in the future, and theoretical things, (for instance only focusing on past lives) they may be faking. One of my mentors used to say,” If I can’t see where you have been, how can I see where you’re going?”
• Ask them how often they recommend you get a reading. If they answer every week or even once a month, they are probably more interested in your money than they are in you. Anyone who tries to bring you back so frequently is most likely hoping that you will become dependant on psychic advice to plan your life. This is not a healthy thing. Psychic guidance is just that. Guidance. It is intended to help you get back on your feet and make your own decisions. If you are using it to make your day to day decisions you are letting someone else control your life and your bank account. I would recommend a minimum of 3 to 6 months between readings, and will sometimes even refuse to read for a person if I feel they are becoming too dependant.

These are just a few things off the top of my head that I hope will be helpful. I would love to further the discussion….

Just read a great article posted on facebook by homeopath Heather Caruso.

Weight loss and healthy body weight  is  of course, a huge issue. Recent studies are showing that the over-focus on weight loss is causing more harm than good.

The article is a bit on the medical/techie side, but if you browse it and be sure to read the conclusion it sums it all up.  Weight Science: Evaluating the Evidence for a Paradigm Shift (Bacon and Aphramor Nutrition Journal 2011) examines how focusing only on weight loss and not on creating a healthy lifestyle can throw people into unhealthy cycles of weight loss and weight gain.

It explores eating disorders and other unhealthy cousins of our skinny obsessed society, and how losing weight can mess up the chemical balance of our bodies making us perhaps even more prone to diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure.

Shockingly the study showed that in most cases, overweight people are actually  living longer than their thin counterparts, IF they have not engaged in a lot of dieting and given into the psychological stresses of being overweight.

I have had personal experiences with weight loss problems. I used to be a “weight cycler”. I had repeated cycles of weight loss and the weight would always creep back on. I damaged my digestive system and gall bladder as a result. I am still a little on the heavy side and think I would feel better a few pounds lighter, but in recent years I have intuitively shifted my focus to health and not just to weight. I eat well and exercise regularly and if the end result is weight loss it is basically a side-effect of my healthier lifestyle. The article refers to this as “Health at Every Size” (HAES)

I use acupuncture to aid in correcting the imbalances my former lifestyle has left me with and try not to stress out about my size. I still have questions about how being overweight places extra stress on the muscles and skeletal system, and how it makes people have more fatigue, but I am still so happy to see this topic being explored.

Have a healthy day!

I have noticed a common theme in people’s lives. Everyone is trying to figure out why they are here and what they are supposed to either get from this life or what they are supposed to give to it. Some are much more interested in the “get” and some far more involved in the “give”, but I think you get the picture.

Of course I focus more on this kind of thing in my role as a psychic reader than in any other part of my life, but I am someone who likes to make connections. We are all connected if only because we all live on the same hunk of rock or because there is some sort of spiritual connection beyond that. I am open to everyone’s beliefs, but I don’t think any one way of thinking has all the answers, and none of us are really going to find out until after we die. So let’s just do the best we can with what we’ve got while we’re here!

Acupuncture regulation is a bit confusing for the consumer right now as acupuncturists are registered under several different organizations. There is currently a government process underway to create a single organization that will govern all acupuncturists in Ontario. When this process is completed I will be registering with the government organization as an acupuncturist in the province of Ontario.

You can claim acupuncture on your extended health care benefits from your employer, but it does depend on your insurance carrier. Some insurance carriers will cover any acupuncturist, some will only cover acupuncturists registered under certain organizations, and some will only cover acupuncture if the practitioner is a Registered Naturopathic Doctor. Be sure to check before you come for treatment, so you will know if you can claim the expense. I will provide you with the receipts you need to submit to your carrier.

My designations for acupuncture are D. Ac, and C.A.H.P. (Diploma in Acupuncture and Certified Acupuncture Health Practitioner.) I am registered with the Canadian Examining Board of Health Care Practitioners and I carry malpractice insurance.

This is a really long one and I am pontificating, but read on if you like. My intention with this entry is to stimulate and encourage so that we can all move forward in health and happiness. I hope I make sense to someone out there!

I have the opportunity to meet many people from all kinds of different backgrounds in my work, and in my personal life. I have held many different kinds of jobs in my years and have been able to meet people with very different opinions and philosophies. I love to listen to their stories, learn all about them and see what makes them tick. I learn great lessons from so many people. I feel grateful that I’ve had the chance to meet an interesting cross-section of society.

I started writing today because I am noticing how people can react very differently to the challenges that we are so often confronted with in our lives.

I have been observing several people in challenging situations lately. Sometimes it brings out their best, and sometimes their worst. There seems to be a lot of change in the air, and it is manifesting very quickly in many peoples lives.

Change usually brings challenges with it. Many of us are not comfortable with change or with challenge. We like safety and security. We like our comforts. We don’t want to have to work harder or reach deep down inside to make ourselves better and learn more. We may just want to close the door and stay inside, not open the mailbox, look in our emails or answer the phone. I know I often look up at the sky and ask, “Haven’t I learned enough already? Can I just have a little breather please?”

Ignoring our challenges doesn’t make them go away. Every time you have a new challenge, you have a choice. You can hope it will go away, or you can step up and deal with it. I try not to judge those who hope it will go away. I have that reaction myself as often as anyone else, and I’ve had to face my fair share of challenges on many levels. I won’t get into the gory details, but someone forgot to tell me that life could be so hard! I try not to give in to the impulse to moan about my own issues to everyone I meet. Just like anyone else, I have been known to cry on the shoulder of a friend or better yet, get an energy healing session when I have my troubles, but I don’t think it does anyone any good to get too caught up in your problems. I think it is far too easy to allow yourself to dwell in the drama and self-pity that can easily take over.

There is something I would like you to think about. When you dwell in the negative parts of your challenges you are missing the best part of the picture! You are giving all your strength and energy to the negative parts and missing out on the positive side.

Each and every challenge is an opportunity! Yes, each and every one. If you can wrap your head around it you might even be able to see a challenge as a gift. Even if you get to the other side of it and wonder what the heck you could have learned from that nasty situation, you will at least have learned that you didn’t like that situation and you can take steps to avoid repeating it.

Little children sometimes don’t learn the meaning of “hot” until they have touched the stove. You can tell them over and over, but they just don’t get it until they have had the experience. We are still the same as adults. We have to experience things that hurt so that we can learn what we need to avoid.

Here’s another piece of the puzzle. Could we think for a moment of others? I know we are a selfish society but we have to remember that we have benefited because someone who came before us had the will to face a challenge. We have electricity because Ben Franklin had the guts to go stand out in a thunderstorm with a kite. We have the light bulb because Edison kept trying over 10,000 times until he got it right.

Look around the world today and see some of the challenges that people are facing. Turn on the news and look at Egypt and Libya. The Palestinians have been fighting for as long as I have been alive for their own little piece of dirt. Agree with the politics or not, you have to admire people who are willing to fight for what they believe is right. People right in our own communities are dealing with loss and grief or fighting devastating illnesses. Millions of those who share this earth with us struggle on a daily basis just for the basic necessities of life.

Could you allow some of these people to inspire you? We are all human and we are all capable of great deeds! Allow those that have real difficulty in this world to inspire you to do better. In every tough situation there is something that you can learn. There is some way you can get stronger. There is some way you can participate in making things better and set an example for others. And hey, if you pass on what you have learned, perhaps you can help someone else not to get hurt. You may not always be successful, and you will make mistakes. You don’t have to change the world by yourself, but doesn’t it feel good to contribute what you can?

In 10 years do you want to look back at your life and be able to say, “Hey, I beat that challenge and I am stronger and smarter for it!” or do you want to look back and see how you avoided and hid from it. How you missed a chance to change your life or to grow? Or, do you at least want to look back and say, “It didn’t quite turn out how I hoped, but I did my best.”

I know I am getting really cliché, but do you want to live your life or let it pass you by? Do you want to dwell in the self-pity or do you want to take the bull by the horns? Do you want to learn from your mistakes and move yourself forward in life, or do you want to still be in the same place years from now because you were afraid to take a chance?

Do you want to hide inside, or travel far out of your way to avoid every storm? Or do you want to batten the hatches and take the harder path, whether the storm and come out of it all feeling indestructible?

None of us are ready to do the hard work all the time, but the next time a good challenge shows up on your doorstep, perhaps you might want to try looking at it from another angle. Find the opportunities that are hiding inside of it and go for it!