SWIHA
Health Insurance Reform, not Health Care Reform
It has been more than a year of political haggling and partisan politics by lawmakers trying to craft, hone and sell the health care overhaul, and head-scratching by the general public trying to figure it out. The historic, nearly $1-trillion dollar measure was signed by President Obama on Tuesday.
At the center of this humongous, complex piece of legislation are new mandates that will enable 32 million people who do not currently have health insurance to receive health care coverage. That goal is to be achieved through an intricate maze of new rules on insurers and employers, subsidies for people who can’t afford health insurance, tax codes and insurance shopping options.
Fear and anger over the plan is wide-spread and after all the debate and frustration, it seems that the general public is still left with more questions than answers; Is it too much government control? Will private insurance be able to compete under the new rules? Will it increase taxes? Will it reduce or increase the federal budget deficit? What is the prescription coverage? Will there be preventative care coverage? And a key question for the supporters of this blog–Will complimentary, holistic and alternative health care be covered?
While we try to find those answers, there are new measures to repeal or amend the law in the works as Republicans and others who disapprove of the changes get ready for battle. Lawsuits by states over the constitutionality of the overhaul were filed immediately. The politics over the plan are long from over.
Meanwhile, at least now that this law has been passed and signed, it seems to me that current articles and editorials are more accurately calling the measure health care insurance reform rather than health care reform. According to Dr. Gladys McGarey, known internationally as the mother of holistic health care, while the health care coverage problem must be fixed, real health care reform will begin with a paradigm shift from health care being an industry of commodities to a vocation in the art of healing. You can check out her comments about it on our YouTube Channel. That philosophy is something SWIHA supports, and if you do too, please click here and let us know on this blog as well!
Merry L.
“Why do we need a business plan?”
This is a common question among holistic entrepreneurs and business owners who do not understand the creative power of the written word in their business manifestation process.
Entrepreneurs too often give little attention to writing or updating their business plans let alone addressing potential pitfalls. Consequently, this lack of risk awareness turns out to be the most important reason for many a small businesses downfall. Nearly all failures can be attributed to not having a written business plan to follow.
Anyone who has ever been in charge of a successful major event knows that were it not for their careful, methodical, strategic planning — and hard work — success would not have followed. The same could be said of most business successes. On any major endeavor, having a roadmap to your destination is imperative; the lack of one often leads down the road to ruin or worse.
Many small businesses fail because of fundamental shortcomings in their business planning. It must be realistic and based on accurate, current information and educated projections for the future. Holistic practitioners need to have their feet firmly planted on the path to performance, especially in today’s marketplace. You need a good map that combines your design with quality help you can trust.
Southwest Institute of Healing Arts now offers holistic practitioners a roadmap to turn their passions and purpose into actionable plans with their new online class – Developing a Written Business Plan. This is a 10-week program that includes a step-by-step workbook and activities designed to help your dreams come alive and thrive in the marketplace today.
Self-employment is the All-American Dream, and a dream without a plan remains a dream. This class is specifically designed to help all Holistic Health Care practitioners design their business plan and take it step by step through to implementation; an opportunity to achieve the dream.
Developing a Written Business Plan promotes practicing the art and science of deliberately creating the active foundation and growth of your business. It simply makes sense common to holistic practitioners as entrepreneurs; ascending from fears and obstacles.
You will grow to know the process of creating a mission statement, accessing your target market, learning your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats and trends as well as goal setting, sales forecasting and marketing effectively.
A business plan is imperative in applying the Law of Attraction, allowing you to activate the creative forces within you resulting in an executable strategic plan. It is well known that establishing a practical, purposeful action plan empowers your business’ success.
Your business plan allows your expertise to manifest through an expertly-crafted process of your own design using proven methodologies. You deserve the opportunity to succeed today. Developing a Written Business Plan assists putting your own creative magic into a practical product, flexible and useful for years to come.
Register for this great class today!
The next start date is March 15th
~ Wellness Wednesday ~ Under Fire For Promoting Alternative Healthcare?
Dr. Oz
Has anyone heard about the debate surrounding Oprah Winfrey ?
A comment was made suggesting that viewers try incorporating holistic healthcare into their lives on Oprah’s show, by her ‘medical guru’ Dr. Oz…The result? Many people raised more than an eyebrow, they began throwing around words like “fraud” and “quack.” If this isn’t a cry for the importance of educating the public, I don’t know what is.
Apparently the well respected talk-show host is coming under fire for a series of statement’s her “medical guru” and frequent contributer to the show, Dr. Mehmet Oz, made regarding alternative medical treatments.
The statement that raised a few eyebrows by his more conservative counterparts came about when he encouraged viewers to ’cure what ails them’ by trying out ‘energy medicine’.
Surprisingly enough, this was enough to stir up a sea of controversy.
Dr. Oz is a cardiothoracic surgeon and according to Oprah.com, he is also vice-chair and professor of surgery at Columbia University. With all these impressive titles and years of medical experience behind him, this apparent expert is being questioned and being labeled as a “quack.”
According to an online article by People magazine , “Stephen Barrett, a vice-president of the National Council Against Health Fraud, told a US tabloid, ‘One part of Dr Oz is highly rational and scientific, but I think he’s also loaded with near-delusional ideas and gives some very bad advice. The bottom line for me is that he does more harm than good for American health.’”
To me this seems in stark contrast to his bio on Oprah.com which states…
“His research interests include heart replacement surgery, minimally invasive cardiac surgery, complementary medicine and healthcare policy. He has authored more than 400 original publications, book chapters and medical books and has received several patents.”
So is this abrasive title of “quack” being assigned unnecessarily simply because many people are uninformed and in some cases even scared of anything that is not on the same level of the current mainstream ‘sickness industry‘?
My thought is yes, but hopefully this will all change – and think that it starts with places like Southwest Institute of Healing Arts that teach people not only the amazing benefits of living a holistic lifestyle, but also how to go out and spread this knowledge with the community in a loving and profitable way.
Another amazing influence is also at work.
If you believe that holistic and alternative healthcare should be recognized more readily by the US government, check out Dr. Gladys McGarey‘s, “the Mother of Holistic Medicine,” online petition site, to show that you support holistic health. Dr. Gladys has worked miracles throughout her lifetime and still continues to work them today.
With awareness comes understanding – and you know what? I think we will get there soon.
~Emily M
~ Wellness Wednesday ~
Every Wednesday I will be discussing a current health and wellness topic, hence the name ‘Wellness Wednesday.’ If anyone has any topics they would like to discuss just let me know!
Today marks the first day of Lent. If you are Catholic, you are probably experiencing your very first few hours of going without for the next 40 days. But many people, even those who are not religious, also choose to give up something as well for their own personal development.
When speaking with a co-worker today, we discussed Lent and the different ways that people chose to acknowledge it. For some, it may mean giving up that cup of coffee in the morning that gets you out of bed, the cigarette you have unknowingly begun to wrap your life around or maybe you simply choose to give up the occasional soda you indulge in every now and again.
So, I ask you this – is it better to give up something we can without easily, or is it better to choose a more challenging goal that causes us to feel a level of discomfort as we go without it? If we aim too high on our first try, it may be discouraging to not meet our anticipated outcome. On the other hand, if there is no challenge at all, how is it a sacrifice to begin with?
My thought on it is this – if you are not observing Lent in the traditional religious sense but more for your own self development, maybe it is a more realistic goal to choose something really difficult to sacrifice but give yourself room to accomplish your goal. Maybe choose to make a change in your life that will occur over the next 40 days. Something meaningful – perhaps a temporary change that can lead to a permanent one.
Does anyone have a story about what they are giving up for Lent? To what level of sacrifice do you think you should push yourself to achieve a goal while not pushing yourself too hard?
Stay tuned for my own exploration into self betterment and sacrifice…
~Emily M
Sharing Success Stories
Success stories serve an amazing purpose. When people share their personal experiences of striving for and then achieving their goals, it not only encourages others to follow their own dreams, but proves that it can actually be done.
As SWIHA’s video producer, I recently had the honor of interviewing four graduates of Southwest Institute of Healing Arts who shared their own success stories. They can be seen and heard in a video on SWIHA’s YouTube channel—swihatv. The four inspiring testimonials were all given with open hearts and a clear vision of supporting others to follow their own destined paths.
Here’s a snippet:
Shelly is a Yoga Instructor who graduated from SWIHA’s YTT program in 2006. She teaches yoga in a variety of settings including health clubs, yoga studios, and private practice environments. Shelly is a workplace learning professional who has incorporated her yoga teaching into her “day job”, bringing a workplace yoga program to many who would not typically create a practice for themselves. She says the supportive, comprehensive training she got at SWIHA gave her confidence as well as skill. In addition to sharing her deep and intuitive bond with yoga, a fun thing Shelly said outside of the interview: “I’ve tried to take the ‘ooga booga’ out of yoga, make it less daunting, and show people that yoga has a wide appeal.”
Tim is a 2007 SWIHA Life Coaching program graduate. Tim found the program to be transformational personally with his relationships and goals. Even more rewarding, Tim really enjoys being a life coach. His practice took little time to get off the ground and soar into a full-fledged business. But Tim shared that his most inspiring moments come from volunteer work with homeless through a local social service agency. He coaches those who truly need it the most–helping people transition from where they don’t want to be to and enable them to see new opportunities and change their lives.
Ramona graduated from SWIHA as a Certified Hypnotherapist in 2005, then later the Life Coach and most recently, was ordained as a minister through the Spiritual Studies program at SWHIA. She has her own business as a Hypnotherapist and Life Coach and with her newest certification, she enjoys a fulfilling and lucrative business officiating at wedding ceremonies. Ramona says, “In this economy, there is nothing better than having your own business…but it’s not just about making money, it’s about helping people”
Brian graduated from SWIHA’s Life Coaching program in 2006 and immediately started his practice. He sees clients as individuals and also gives inspirational and motivational group presentations across the country on topics such as greatness. Brian’s successful Life Coaching practice, “A New View to a New You” specializes in self-awareness, relationships, and helping people realize their personal goals and happiness. Brian shared his heart and his wisdom, with tears in his eyes for the truth of what he said, “Follow your heart, it will take you where you need to go.”
My humble thanks to the SWIHA grads who took the time to sit with me and allow me to capture their stories on video. Please feel free to enjoy them at www.YouTube.com/swihatv. As you watch and listen, think about how your own success story will play out. Now just imagine who you can inspire when you share it.
-Merry Lucero
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