General transition issues

The Transition Towns movement began in Totnes, England, in 2005 and is spreading worldwide. This is a process for helping people conceptualize what they can do and make action plans to power down in response to peak oil and environmental concerns – particularly the reduction of carbon emissions to halt and reverse global warming. This is a very practical, hands-on, do-whatever-you-can movement, inviting local groups to form and come forward with what works in each unique location.
http://totnes.transitionnetwork.org/Central/About_us

There is a lot of material now on developing local farming and distribution of local produce, and awareness of the need to redevelop skills in local people for survival in a world where travel may become very limited.

Of particular help are the 12 steps recommended for the development of concepts and plans for each locality's unique needs, building on the available human resources and energies. What is so helpful is that there is no plan with recommendations that this is the way Transition should be implemented. Naturally, the experiences of those who have put thoughts and energies into their plans is helpful to other towns and cities. What is offered that is even more helpful is a series of steps that people can take to develop their own, local Transition plan that works for each locality.
http://www.lets-doit.ca/twelve_steps_webpage.html   

My own assessment of the direction the world is moving in is that:

1. Global warming, largely caused by carbon emissions, is the most important factor to keep in mind.

2. Peak oil will limit transportation, which will limit availability of globalized food distribution.

3. There are likely to be crises over the short to intermediate term not only in peak oil but also in financial institutions; water shortages; exhaustion of food in oceans and on land; flooding of low-lying, heavily populated areas; pollution of land, water and air; pesticide resistant infestations that will devastate monoculture crops; and/or nuclear disasters. Any of these could very rapidly throw local or major regions, and perhaps even the entire planet, into severe crises of food, water and other shortages.
(See tipping point issues references below)

There is absolutely no way to predict which, if any of these, will materialize and where they will impact major numbers of people first. We simply cannot assess which factor or combination of factors will reach one or more tipping points that throw major areas into disaster mode.

The planning for the meeting of a gradual descent into oil shortages will stand people in good stead for tipping point situations as well – where unpredictable limits of tolerance and coping with these stressors rapidly and disastrously overwhelms people's abilities to cope with the problems.


Transition Healthcare Resilience initiatives

There are problems with healthcare that are impacting the environment today, needing attention today:

Our foods are full of toxic chemicals, including pesticides, herbicides and fertilizer residues. Genetically Modified Organisms are being included in our foods, with no precautions being taken about long term effects on people who eat them.

Medication, hormone and other biologically and ecologically harmful chemicals are

a. Excreted into toilets and recycled in water systems that cannot cope with the thousands of chemicals that pollute our waters. (See President Obama's Cancer Panel report)

b. Washed off our bodies (lotions, creams, medication patches, hair dyes, and other topical preparations that are washed down the bath/shower drains (Daughton and Ruhoy, 2010; Water Online).

Removing these drugs and drug residues from the environment is impossible. There are thousands of these chemicals and no municipal water systems can even begin to identify them, much less to clear them from our water sources and our land.

The only reasonable approach is to prevent the excretion of drugs into our sewage and thereby prevent the pollution of our environment.

Developing drug-free healthcare initiatives, such as local herbal and medication production options and plans

My personal contributions in this area are:

A. WHEE: Whole Health - Easily and Effectively: a self-healing method for pain, stress, distress, stress-related illnesses, side effects of many medications, and more.

WHEE: Whole Health - Easily and Effectively®
AKA 
Wholistic Hybrid derived from EMDR and EFT 

WHEE is a self-treatment method that is extremely simple to learn and to use, yet very rapidly and deeply effective. Within minutes WHEE can reduce physical and psychological pains, even when these have been present for decades. 

WHEE is also helpful with stress and distress that often contribute to pains and make them more painful and less tolerable. These, too, can be released within minutes.

WHEE is highly suitable for use in emergency stress situations. 
1. WHEE can be used in responses to catastrophes for volunteers' and caregivers' stress, trauma and compassion fatigue. Victims of the catastrophes will usually require several weeks to several months for dealing with immediate issues of physical survival and will have little time or energies for attending to emotional stresses. 


I. WHEE will be enormously helpful to adults and children in dealing with

i. Emotional traumas from the catastrophe, such as post traumatic stress disorders (PTSD) and grief

ii. Stresses of dealing with survival, relocation, seeking relatives who may be dead or may have relocated to places unknown

iii. Stresses of finding and developing new ways to support oneself and one's family

II. WHEE can reduce medication use by

i. relieving physical and emotional pains of all sorts

ii. relieving stress, anxieties, panic attacks, PTSD, fears and phobias, depression

iii. curing isomnia

iv. reducing side effects of conventional medications

WHEE is completely individualized to the preferences and needs of those who use it. No part of WHEE is a requirement. Every aspect of WHEE is but a suggestion – for people to explore and use, as and if it feels right and comfortable to do so.  See details about WHEE at www.paintap.com

B. Numerous other wholistic approaches can offer self-healing, including acupuncture, chirpractic, homeopathy, improved nutritional and dietary supplements

Many of these are detailed in Healing Research, Volume 2:

i. Benor, Daniel J. Healing Research, Volume II: (Professional edition) - Consciousness, Bioenergy and Healing. Bellmawr, NJ: Wholistic Healing Publications 2004.  (Professional edition includes a thorough review of research validating the efficacy of self-healing, wholistic complementary/ alternative medicine (CAM), biological energies, and environmental interactions with bioenergies.)

ii. Benor, Daniel J. Healing Research, Volume II: (Popular edition) - How Can I Heal What Hurts?  Bellmawr, NJ: Wholistic Healing Publications 2005. (Popular edition Explains self-healing, wholistic complementary/ alternative medicine (CAM) and bioenergies, and discusses ways in which you can heal yourself.)

General Transition Healthcare Resilience issues

There is very little as yet within the Transition Town movement on developing transition healthcare plans. While the focus of most people I've spoken with is upon conventional healthcare, the suggestions regarding transition are all in general terms of  'there is a need for' or 'we need to…'  

Needed are:

A. Gathering of specific suggestions for local resources

B. Consideration of how conventional healthcare facilities and individual providers will cope with gradual and/or tipping point crises in healthcare services.

C. Consideration of local complementary/ alternative resources and what they can offer. There are some early suggestions at http://totnes.transitionnetwork.org/healthandwellbeing/home

Within the Transition movement, the major focus is on probable and possible future problems. Within these are 'Tipping point' healthcare hazards that include:

Problem 1. Global warming, largely caused by carbon emissions, which is the most important factor addressed in Transition plans, includes hazards impacting healthcare.
Climate change may
    Create more natural disasters
    Flood low-lying parts of many countries
    Exceeding emergency resources
    Forcing population shifts
Effects: Injuries, emotional trauma and stress, grief, compassion fatigue

Problem 2. Peak oil will limit transportation, which will limit availability of globalized food and other resources distribution.
Peak oil may leave us with limited access to
    medications
    advanced medical diagnostic facilities
    advanced medical treatment facilities
Effects: Limited conventional medical healthcare availability

Problem 3. There are likely to be crises over the short to intermediate term not only in peak oil but also in financial institutions; water shortages; exhaustion of food in oceans and on land; flooding of low-lying, heavily populated areas; pollution of land, water and air; pesticide resistant infestations that will devastate monoculture crops; nuclear disasters and/or other, unforeseen challenges. Any of these could very rapidly throw local or major regions, and perhaps even the entire planet, into severe crises of food, water and other shortages.
Effects: Emotional trauma and stress, grief, compassion fatigue (in addition to problems in the physical world.

There is absolutely no way to predict which, if any of these, will materialize and where they will impact major numbers of people first. We simply cannot assess which factor or combination of factors will reach one or more tipping points that throw major areas into disaster mode.

The planning for the meeting of a gradual descent into oil shortages will stand people in good stead for tipping point situations as well – where unpredictable limits of tolerance and coping with these stressors rapidly and disastrously overwhelms people's abilities to cope with the problems.

Problems (1-3) above may create problems in healthcare:

H1. Limited availability of medication and technology-dependent health services

H2. Limited access to distant centers of specialty and excellence in healthcare

H3. Need for local resources as primary conventional healthcare providers find there are decreasing supplies, support and backup for their drug and technology-dependent interventions

Suggestions:

It would be helpful to have a gathering of healthcare professionals – both allopathic and complementary/ alternative practitioners – to develop

1. Plans for processes that will be adaptable to any locality for the development of a Transition Healthcare Plan.

2. Exploring local herbal and medication production options and plans

3. 

General Resources:

Transition Healthcare Resilience

Kinsale Energy Descent Action Plan 2005
http://transitionculture.org/wp-content/uploads/KinsaleEnergyDescentActionPlan.pdf

McGarey, Gladys. A Gathering of Eagles –  Integrative Medicine initiative
http://www.mcgareyfoundation.org/the_eagles.pdf

Transition Health and Wellbeing - Totnes
http://totnes.transitionnetwork.org/healthandwellbeing/home

Water Online http://www.wateronline.com/article.mvc/Bathing-And-Showering-Under-Appreciated-0001?VNETCOOKIE=NO

Whitmont,Ronald D. The Greening of Medicine
(Part 1) http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/37956/

(Part 2) http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/38316/

(Part 3) http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/38707/

General Transition issues

List of Transition Town Totnes recommended resources 
      http://www.transitionnetwork.org/resources

Transition Dundas, Ontario, Canada website http://www.lets-doit.ca/index.html

Ben Brangwyn and Rob Hopkins, The Transition Network - 12 Steps
   http://www.lets-doit.ca/twelve_steps_webpage.html   

Transition Initiatives Primer version 26, 2008 Aug 12, 51 pages, pdf  
   http://www.lets-doit.ca/articles/TransitionInitiativesPrimer.pdf

The Transition Network Structure - The definitive document, 2008 Oct 15, 15 pages, MS Word doc
http://www.lets-doit.ca/articles/transition-network-structure-final-10-final-version-7th-october-20081.doc


Health problems – challenging us now

Chemicals found today in newborn human babies

Website: http://www.ewg.org/reports/bodyburden2/execsumm.php 

Report: http://www.ewg.org/reports/bodyburden2/pdf/bodyburden2_final-r2.pdf

Dangers of medications

Deaths from medications properly prescribed and properly used
Lazarou J, Pomeranz BH, Corey PN. Incidence of adverse drug reactions in hospitalized patients: a meta-analysis of prospective studies. J.American Medical Association 1998, 279(15), 1200-1205.
   Read article summary



Classen DC, et al. Adverse drug events in hospitalized patients. Excess length of stay, extra costs, and attributable mortality, J American Medical Association 1997, 277(4), 301-6.
   Read article summary



Thomas, J. Moore, AB; Cohen, MR.  et al. Serious adverse drug events reported to the food and drug administration, 1998-2005, Archives of Internal Medicine 2007;167:1752-1759.
 (Details of the meidcations that killed more than 500 people annually)
   Read article summary

Brennan, Troyen A.; Leape, Lucian L.; Laird, Nan M.; et al. Incidence of adverse events and negligence in hospitalized patients: Results of the Harvard Medical Practice Study I, New England J.Medicine 1991, 324:370-376.
   Read article summary

Null, Gary;  Dean, Carolyn;  Feldman, Martin;  Rasio, Debora; and  Smith, Dorothy. Death by Medicine. Live Extension Magazine. (Extensive references, but not all assertions are as carefully documented as in other articles.)
   Read full article

River fish loaded with Prozac
By William Marsden, Montreal Gazette January 21, 2011 

Researchers at the Université de Montréal and Environment Canada have discovered large quantities of antidepressants in the liver, muscle and brain tissues of brook trout exposed to effluent from Montreal's sewage treatment plant.
 
MONTREAL - St. Lawrence River fish are loaded with Prozac and other antidepressant drugs, leading scientists to wonder if the "happy hormone" is altering the lifestyle of the chronically grumpy-looking marine animals.

Researchers at the Université de Montréal and Environment Canada have discovered large quantities of antidepressants in the liver, muscle and brain tissues of brook trout exposed to three months of various levels of treated effluent from Montreal's sewage treatment plant.
              Read more...

Tipping point issues references

Gutierrez, David. If you use pharmaceuticals, you are polluting the water. Natural News
http://www.naturalnews.com/029585_water_pollution_drugs.html

President Obama's report: Reducing environmental cancer risk: What we can do now. 2008–2009 Annual Report - President’s Cancer Panel, p. 108-109.
PDF dowload: http://upload.bkk.in.th/view.aspx?ItemID=0eb1342e-20b4-df11-a988-00215e4daf9c

Rockström, J., W. Steffen, K. Noone, Å. et al. Planetary boundaries: exploring the safe operating space for humanity
http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol14/iss2/art32/

Ruhoy IS and Daughton CG "Types and Quantities of Leftover Drugs Entering the ... 30th Midyear Conference and Exhibition," American Society of Consultant
PDF dowloads: http://www.epa.gov/nerlesd1/chemistry/images/drug-disposal-2.pdf
http://www.epa.gov/esd/bios/daughton/EnvInt2008.pdf

Water Online. Bathing and showering: under-appreciated sources of water pollution from medicines
http://www.wateronline.com/article.mvc/Bathing-And-Showering-Under-Appreciated-0001?VNETCOOKIE=NO

Whitmont, Ronald D.  The greening of medicine
(Part 1) http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/37956/

(Part 2) http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/38316/

(Part 3) http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/38707/

Books

Rob Hopkins, The Transition Handbook: From oil dependency to local resilience - 240 pages
http://www.lets-doit.ca/Transition_Handbook.html
Book reviews:
The Transition Handbook – From oil dependency to local resilience - Rob Hopkins
The Transition Timeline: For a Local, Resilient Future - Shaun Chamberlin and Rob Hopkins

Berry, Thomas with Tucker, Mary Evelyn (ed). Evening Thoughts; Reflecting on Earth as Sacred Community Sierra Club Books 2006.

Brown, Lester R. Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization, New York: WW Norton 2008. Best book on the interconnections between carbon emissions and all other ecological issues.

Gladwell, Malcolm. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, New York: Little, Brown & Company 2000

Gomes, Mary E. and Kanner, Allen D., Ecopsychology: Restoring the Earth, Healing the Mind, San Francisco, CA: Sierra Club 1995.

Hawken, Paul. The Magic of Findhorn, Fontana/ Collins 1978.

Hawken. Paul. The Ecology of Commerce: A Declaration of Sustainability, NY: HarperCollins 1993.

Hawken. Paul. Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why No One Saw it Coming,  NY: Viking/ Penguin 2007.

Houlihan, Jane et al., Body Burden: The Pollution in Newborns, Washington, DC: Environmental Working Group, 2005. Website: http://www.ewg.org/reports/bodyburden2/execsumm.php 

Report: http://www.ewg.org/reports/bodyburden2/pdf/bodyburden2_final-r2.pdf

Plotkin, Bill, Soulcraft: Crossing into the Mysteries of Nature and Psyche, Novato, CA: New World Library 2003.

Starhawk, The Earth Path: Grounding Your Spirit in the Rhythms of Nature, New York: HarperOne/ HarperCollins 2004.

van Lippe-Biesterfeld, Irene with van Tijn, Jessica. Science, Soul, and the Spirit of Nature: Leading thinkers on the restoration of man and creation, Rochester, VT: Bear & Co. 2005.

Wright, Machaelle Small. Co-Creative Science: A Revolution In Science Providing Real Solutions For Today’s Health & Environment, Warrenton, VA: Perelandra, Ltd 1997. (Creating new realities in your life – the garden as a school for external and internal changes.)


Transition videos
http://www.lets-doit.ca/videos.html

Daniel J. Benor, MD, ABIHM (US), Wholistic Psychotherapist (Canada) 
 
609-714-1885

DB@paintap.com

Posted to website Sep 22, 2010   Last modified Oct 16, 2010