8 minute read
Healing happens at joy ...............................Catherine Stack
Healing happens at joy
STORY AND PHOTO BY CATHERINE STACK
Cathi Stack's latest source of joy is her pug puppy, Josephine.
What do you think of when you think of joy?
That feeling of your heart-bursting happiness when your cup is running over with pure bliss? The tears that come to your eyes when you see a baby for the first time, or watching that baby take her first steps? It could be an elated scream as the roller coaster careens down the track or the way your dog welcomes you home each and every time you come through the door. Joy is present in so much of life, and an important emotion to experience as often as we can.
All emotions have a frequency of vibration. For example, love and joy vibrate at a very high frequency (528 hertz, to be specific). At these higher frequencies, healing happens with fluidity. Negative thinking, anger, and fear vibrate at much lower frequencies. These frequencies facilitate disease and chronic illness and inhibit the healing process.
Yes, diet, rest, proper supplementation, and medications are part of the healing process, but without joy, laughter, and happiness, it’s an exhausting uphill battle. Joy has more restorative properties than most individuals know. It can reduce pain and blood pressure, and increase immunestrengthening antibodies, making for a longer, higher-quality life.
A former patient of mine, Grace, came to see me while being treated for metastatic breast cancer. She had already had a bilateral mastectomy and radiation and was currently on chemotherapy. Many patients come to me for supplementation, diet optimization, and advice on anything else they can do to improve their situation. By most in the healthcare field, Grace was considered terminal and, if I recall correctly, was given about another year to live.
What surprised me was that Grace was already eating and supplementing for optimal health. Her diet was near perfect for an individual battling cancer and there was little more I could offer. I remember being puzzled as to why she’d come to see me. I was beginning to feel uncomfortable, as I wasn’t going to find her cure or maybe even going to help her for that matter. As the conversation continued, however, I began to see the purpose of her visit.
Grace was making the most of the time she had left, but every time she ate the “wrong” foods or celebrated with a drink, she felt as if she was accelerating her cancer. She wanted to travel more and worry less. The bottom line? She was looking for permission to do things that made her happy. To have an occasional glass of wine or piece of cake without thinking she was doing something wrong.
Telling people what to do is not how I roll; I prefer to make suggestions I believe will help them achieve the goal they came in with. In this case, I told her to book the trip, drink the good wine and enjoy the occasional piece of cake…and she did. We even had the opportunity to travel together. Grace outlived her diagnosis by nine years. I am not taking any credit for this—she did it. She was also fortunate to have an extremely supportive family that was an asset to her happiness. She was happy and, if you didn’t know it, you would never guess she was ill in the first place. If you ask me, joy bought her time. Not just time, but quality time that she and her family fully embraced.
Here are a few things that cost little to nothing yet fill me with joy: a hug, a smile, a beautiful sunset, being with friends, Sunday dinner with my family, and the most recent addition: Josephine, my beautiful pug puppy.
What brings you joy? If you do not know, seek it out. It will improve your time on this planet.
Please Support the Hospice House Expansion
NiagaraHospice.org/Giving or call 716-HOSPICE
FY
Catherine Stack is owner, facilitator, and Doctor of Naturopathy at Journey II Health. She specializes in colon health and bio-identical hormone replacement and is a practicing staff midwife at Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital. Her books, Free Yourself from a CONSTIPATED Life and PUSH, Labor & Delivery from the Inside Out are available on amazon.com. Visit cathistack.com for more info.
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BUFFALO TRADITIONS AND THE BIG WECK
Happy holidays!
Wow, this year flew by, and a lot happened—both good and bad— that defied just about every normal we’ve ever had.
THE BIG WECK is about BIG holiday traditions, and that includes traditional Christmas music. Unlike some corporate stations that slop together holiday songs in a computer and let it roll, WECK doesn’t take holiday music lightly. When you listen to WECK, Buffalo’s Oldies Station, on your radio or voice-activated device, you’ll hear Christmas classics by Burl Ives, Andy Williams, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and many others. If you love oldies and Christmas tradition, you’ll love listening to WECK.
These songs are played for you by on-air personalities that have become tradition themselves, local names you’ve known and trusted for decades: Joe Chille, Roger Christian, Tom Donahue, Dick Bartley, Bobby O, Glen Topolski, and the king of the holiday polka, Ronnie D.
From WECK Radio to you and your family: have a safe and healthy holiday season, and always try to help someone in need.
Buddy Shula Owner /CEO
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Jan.2 3-19
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Through January 2 Zoo Lights
Enjoy the Zoo after hours as you stroll through an illuminated winter wonderland. Take in dazzling light displays, listen to holiday music, indulge in warm winter treats, and visit Santa.
5:30-9:30 p.m. at the Buffalo Zoo
(300 Parkside Avenue; buffalozoo.org, 837-3900)
December 3-19 Miracle on South Division St.
Buffalonian playwright Tom Dudzick, whose semi-autobiographical Over the Tavern trilogy is well-known to local audiences, takes us back to his South Buffalo neighborhood to meet the Nowak family. Call or check website for showtimes.
Lancaster Opera House
(21 Central Avenue, Lancaster; lancasteropera.org, 683-1776
December 10 JoAnn’s Classical Christmas
Celebrate the holidays with a collection of traditional classical treasures when JoAnn is joined by operatic soprano and Buffalo resident Sirgourney Cook.
7:30 p.m. at Kleinhans Music Hall; 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 11
(3 Symphony Circle; bpo.org, 885-5000)
Ends December 22 Studio Artist Show and Sale
More than 100 pieces of art across a range of media fill both galleries, the Community Space, and the gift shop. Paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, ceramics, jewelry, and more can all be purchased right off the wall.
Opening reception 5–9 p.m., Buffalo Arts Studio
(Tri-Main Center, 2495 Main Street, Ste. 500; buffaloartsstudio.org, 833-4550)
Through December Ga’nigöi:yoh: G. Peter Jemison
This career survey includes the various topics Jemison has explored through his art, from creating political works that portray contemporary social commentary to those that reflect his relationship with the natural world.
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