Energy Medicine and the Politics (Politeia) of Health
“Politics” is derived from the juicier Greek word, “politeia,” which implies an active engagement in which people empower each other to enhance their communities. – Jean Houston
“The Earth is what we all have in common.”
—Wendell Berry
Political Choices Are Health Choices
First published January 17, 2022
Donna Eden and David Feinstein
A study recently published in a multi-disciplinary academic journal on the social implications of health policies looked at the relationship between life expectancy in the United States and social policies, giving state by state comparisons. The article opens with, “For a number of years, the United States has ranked last in life expectancy among high-income countries.” Our own audience is becoming increasingly international, and the implications of this study apply everywhere.
The study used information on 18 policy domains, such as labor laws, tax codes, civil rights, education, tobacco taxes, gun safety, abortion, and environmental policies. It found that some policies had a negative impact on health and longevity while others had a positive impact. For instance, in states whose legislation had, over the past dozen years, become more favorable in terms of policies associated with better health, life expectancy increased by more than two years. Meanwhile, in states whose policies had become less favorable, life expectancy decreased significantly.
The policies associated with longevity are, however, politically charged. What are we to do with such findings about the impact of social policies on longevity in formulating the health guidance we provide? Are we to ignore them in our public statements because they have become political hotwires? The truth is, so far, we have. We’ve not even offered guidance on the use of masks or physical distancing during the pandemic in terms of their impact energetically. Here is what we would have said: “Covid appears to Donna as a thick murky green. Masks and distancing keep that murky energy from moving into others.”
Why change now? Why are we ready to comment on highly charged social issues? The study of social policies and life expectancy, while even more dramatic than we realized, did not surprise us. What is new is that as the 2022 elections approach, we believe that the implications for policies that impact health are going to be momentous and probably unprecedented. For us personally, we are deeply concerned about the world our grandchildren will inherit. Will effective health care be readily available? Will they feel safe at a concert? Will they be able to do meaningful work for a livable wage? Will bridges be safe? Will they have fresh air to breathe and clean water to drink? Will their bodies enjoy swimming in clean oceans?
There is more to living a healthy life than just nutrition, exercise, adequate sleep, meaningful work, good relationships and, of course from our perspective, energy medicine practices. Attending to your environment is also part of the package. Gasoline did not have lead removed because the auto industry or oil companies demanded it. Toxic pesticides were not banned because the farming industry or chemical manufacturers thought it was a good idea. We are healthier today because earlier generations demanded better.
Our students have often heard us emphasize that “Energy medicine only works if you use it.” It is similar with your voice and your vote. You can’t be heard if you don’t speak up. If you want to live in a healthier environment, the evidence shows that the way you vote and engage politically makes a difference. The life expectancy gap between Connecticut, the state with the greatest movement toward policies associated with good health, and Oklahoma, the state that made greatest movement away from such policies, is 7 years. Political choices are health choices.
While we will be vocal in our opinions about specific health care policies and how to get them implemented, we want to be clear on one fundamental point. We do not expect to change the political views of anyone in our community! We will continue to enthusiastically embrace everyone, regardless of political affiliation, as we provide guidance on the use of energy methods for health and well-being. Our intention is not to change your opinion. Our intention is to offer our perspective on specific topics and to encourage those who are aligned with that perspective on that issue to make their voices heard. If our opinions do not resonate with yours, we honor and respect that. Jane Goodall summed up the arrangement: “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of a difference you want to make.”
In today’s world, the misinformation floating around is unprecedented. Social policies based on that misinformation are being enacted. That misinformation is, as you witness every day, aided and abetted by electronic media that literally rewires the brain. Here is what you can expect from us: We believe in science. We believe in the world revealed by invisible energies. We believe in critical thinking. The positions we will advocate will be supported by our best integration of these three sources of information.
We are more committed than ever to activate forces within you that support your health at the deepest levels and that support the conditions in your environment that promote health. In promoting your own health, you are taking a gargantuan step toward promoting the health of your culture. During these coming months, we will explore issues that will be impacted by the upcoming elections. To the degree that our perspective resonates with yours, we hope to inspire you to be vocal. We ourselves are inspired to be more vocal by the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
Feel free to share your responses. Your comments will not be censored. We expect differing viewpoints and hopefully rich discussion. Comments do, of course, need nowadays to be screened for trolls, bots, being respectful, understandable, on-topic, et cetera, so there will be some delay between your submitting them and their being posted.
Even though Donna and Donna won’t be responding to these comments directly, our purpose is to get dialogue going among the members of our community. We will also have a staff person answer questions that are directly pertinent for our organization to answer, such as questions about our policies. Finally, Donna and David will read all of your comments when they are writing subsequent articles so they will have them in their minds.
Thank You both!
It’s a fact of life we live in challenging times where money and health get served better if you have money but the difficulty is more and more people are holding onto their vast wealth and sharing what would help others, is politically seen as a problem. There is enough if oligarchs did not hang onto money that would give them enough for the next 350 years and beyond. How much do people need and why cannot everyone have basic health, medical care and enough food to eat. Historically the money was made by stealing and conning others and now its the stock market which is just a modern version of plundering other societies. Money is an energy that should flow so everyone has their basic needs met.
This is a great idea and I am eager to read your opinions and learn. I am always looking to broaden my perspective. Politics is so disruptive and easy to ignore. I feel a responsibility to engage more.
Please define “misinformation“. Who decides what misinformation is? Using what criteria?
Love your work. Many blessings!
Bravo! Finally, common sense prevails! You are so…..on target and I applaud your speaking out on these issues
Thank you, as ever, for your balance, generosity of spirit and compassion .
I am very interested to see what color Donna sees around those who have taken a vaccine. The adverse effects are concerning and I wonder what they would appear as.
I have always trusted my gut.
I did not get the vaccine and my sister and sister-in-law both had strokes,shortly after their first vaccines. I have a friend who had a brain aneurysm and a co-worker that had a stomach aneurysm a week after their 1st vaccine.
all the while, these people kept urging me to get vaccinated.
I was not making my decision from ANY political viewpoint, it was what I felt was right at the time.
I feel Donna would definitely concur with trusting your gut.
I would definitely want to know her view on people that have had the vaccine.
I trust God source will help us all know to Trust our intuitions! This is so critical now and that goes with who you are voting for. I will trust God for my decision, not any political party.
Yes, I found it interesting that Donna saw Covid as murky green…hhmmm. To the best of the scientific studies I read, they never actually isolated any specific corona virus that correlated to COVID-19, it is the same basic corona virus that has been around for a long time (long enough for the vaccine companies to patent a vaccine against this “Covid-19” several years before the hype was released. oh, how did that happen?) and the same corona virus that comes around every winter in just a slightly different form. So much of research shows this is just a virus and some even say it is it is from exogenes, ie, the body is putting out these viruses (ie which is an incomplete organism and not free-living) in response to the increase in EMF (electro-magnetic fields and energies) and electro-smog. For sure, anyone in the energy field must know that EMFs have a negative effect on the body. So yes, I’d be interested in hearing more about why covid (if it actually exists) is murky green and what color are all these gazillions of EMFs that we are pumping into our closed ionosphere…it’s like living in a microwave oven as the power is slowly increased. Really scary.
I also found it puzzling that Donna saw Covid as murky green for the same reasons you did Amanda. I am wondering if what Donna saw was the fear or collective thought form that was artificially created by whoever for whatever reason and the media. I know that when I was with strangers, say in the grocery store, the fear was palpable.
Donna and David, thank you so much for starting this very much needed conversation. It’s impossible to avoid the current political implications on health of all of us and our planet. I can’t wait to hear your opinions regarding these topics.
Dear Donna and David, I also am grateful you have the courage to step into this arena. God Bless it is a tough one to navigate. However, by offering a ‘political choices and health choices’ series from the energy medicine perspective perhaps we can build on a language and a dialogue to then articulate better in our communities. I would love to participate in developing better methods of communication. The dominance of the one way only perspective has brought on a devastating lack of trust and confidence in the general public. Perhaps with your respected background and brilliant skillset you can help pave a path with more clarity and understanding. People are silent or bursting with anger and disillusionment at not knowing how to share their journeys of holistic living. And I sense there is an honest desire from many corners to engage in a healthy way with the scientific data and research that affects our present moment in health care. The question is HOW to do that where respect is found in all corners of the continuum.
Love this!
I appreciate that you have included the series on politics. We need all the help we can get so that our world can be as healthy as possible now & for the future, thanks!