In a 2009 survey of the American Diabetic Association, getting diagnosed with a chronic illness like diabetes even trumped other common fears such as an uncertain state of the economy, debt, job loss and leaving a loved one.

When we look at the increase in the incidence of diabetes, cancer, heart disease and obesity, it’s clear we are not being proactive.

If we’re so afraid of getting a serious illness, why aren’t we doing anything to prevent it?

One reason is that we’ve been duped. We have been lulled into believing that something or someone “out there” is going to save us if we get into trouble.

We don’t have to make the effort to take responsibility for ourselves, because there is some “cure” just around the corner that will make everything alright. Just like when our mother soothed us when we bruised ourselves and said, “Everything is going to be alright dear”.

The puzzling part is that despite the increase in these lifestyle diseases we don’t make the connections and ask “what can I do to prevent it”. Or maybe we know  but we just don’t want to face our answer as that means we must take responsibility for ourselves.

It could also be that when we start to research an illness we get overwhelmed with so much information, much of it conflicting, that we are at a loss as to what to do.

But there is enough research and evidence today to tell us the risk factors that are time bombs waiting to explode in relation to any of our most common killer diseases.

Today I want to focus on cancer, the dreaded “c” word. What’s more I will also focus on the welcome “c” word—courage. With courage we can change our current paradigm and create vibrant health.

Looking for answers outside ourselves will never create the courage to face any situation. Courage is an inner journey.

When we have courage to listen to our instincts and intuition with love and devotion we will awaken to our Higher Self. We will see that the divinity within us is more powerful than the fear and doubt that have held us in bondage.

And we will know that we have all the support we need to face any of life’s challenges.

Awakening is taking a look at our lives: where we’ve been, where we are, and where we want to go. For the fortunate few this awakening will come before a serious illness like cancer. For other’s cancer can be a wakeup call rather than a death sentence.

In another post, I will focus on evaluation of risk factors and lifestyle choices that predispose one to cancer.

But today, I want to focus on two amazing discoveries that will get to the underlying cause of cancer and create healing at the source rather than the band aid toxic therapies of chemotherapy and radiation.

Even in many cases surgery may not be necessary as tumors can be eliminated if the cause is found and eliminated.

If chemotherapy and radiation are curative than how come we talk about survival rates and not cure rates. When you look at survival rates you will be deemed to be a cancer survivor even if you died one day after surviving for five years.

The reason the survival rate is so low is that chemotherapy and radiation attack and destroy the immune system, so the body cannot fight back.

As Prof. Dr. Georges Mathé, Oncologist says:
“Should I ever get cancer, I would never ever allow myself to be treated in a conventional cancer clinic. Only cancer victims who stay away from such centres would have a chance of survival.”

The problem is that many of us don’t really pay much attention to our health until we get sick. What’s more we have been lulled to believe there is a “magic cure around the corner”. To make matters worse, we have been lied to by our physicians, our government and the pharmaceutical companies along with agribusiness and a few other people who have no vested interest in our health.

So it’s up to us to find answers. But often when we are diagnosed with a serious illness, the last thing we can do emotionally, mentally or financially is start looking for viable alternatives to conventional therapies.

So we succumb because our “loved ones” push us into chemotherapy or radiation because of their own fears instead of supporting us and finding possible solutions that are life affirming instead of life denying.

The only long term survivors of cancer are those that have dramatically change their lifestyle—from thoughts to feelings, from nutrition and detoxification to finding a purpose in life which has given them a will and determination to live. Only then can one truly find answers that will resonate in one’s conscious awareness.

As a matter of fact, no one talks about the quality of life after one has had chemotherapy and radiation. This, I believe is why we have so much fear of cancer. It’s the pain and suffering that we have seen other people go through and we are afraid if we get cancer that will happen to us. But it need not.

Despite trillions of $ spent on cancer research since 1971 and the famous declaration of Richard Nixon to fight cancer, the rates are increasing.

Why Am I Interested In Healing Cancer?

It’s because my mother died of stomach cancer when I was 18 years old. It was horrible, watching someone starve to death after having had her stomach removed.

I vowed two things on the day she died. One was that I was not going to get cancer and the other was that I was going to find out what the causes of cancer were and what could be done to eliminate them and regain vibrant health.

Physicians who practice complementary therapies have been prosecuted and many supplements that have proved effective have been banned.

Even people who say they have been cured from cancer and tell people how they did it have been prosecuted and their websites taken off the internet.

Through these actions the FDA in the United States, and Health Canada and probably many other government bodies in other countries have denied people the right to freedom of choice in relation to their health.

But there is good news….news on how to prevent ill health and also news on how to legally treat cancer with an alternate therapy.

Even though victories have been won more threats are looming on the horizon, so your support and prayers are needed now!

An incredible discovery coupled with amazing advances in molecular biology has given us a new way to create vibrant cellular health. We can now replenish our native supply of redox signaling molecules. These molecules are fundamental to life and are made in the cell mitochondria

Immune System Health and Redox Signaling

In order for the immune system to function as it should, a myriad of communication signals need to be carried between cells. Cells that can’t efficiently communicate damage and the need for repair to their neighbors are less likely to heal.

With clearer signals, the immune system can operate with increased efficiency. This means that the immune system will be more likely to detect and attack threats that it should engage and less likely to attack healthy cells that it should not engage.

This coordinated immune effort depends heavily on redox signaling, a new biochemical science that is at the forefront of immune health and anti-oxidant efficiency.

ASEA is the world’s first and only stable and bioactive solution that optimizes cellular efficiency and communication through the power of Redox Signaling helping you create a healthy self.

Click Here to learn more about ASEA

Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski

Some of you may have already seen the documentary of how his Antineoplastons Therapy has been show to help cure what some say is incurable terminal cancer.

Click Here to see it for free at Forbidden Knowledge TV

Click Here to go to Dr. Burzynski’s website to find out more about his work.

Supporting his work will mean the alleviation of much suffering and the end of the pharmaceutical monopoly on cancer therapy as the only legitimate treatment.

Let’s dialogue. I would be delighted if you would give me your feedback.

To You Health And Vitality

Joyce Friesen Founder

The Novalis Integra Center for Healing and Transformation

Healthy aging can be an artful and joyful journey building on the lessons of our life’s experiences. We can deepen our interests and explorations, while embracing new opportunities and discovering new passions.

Or it can be just the opposite. If we find ourselves in a rut and have not had any clarity around the kind of life experiences we want, aging can be a frustrating and fearful experience.

There’s so much information on how to achieve a healthy life, we can be overwhelmed in our journey, particularly if we have health challenges.

What’s even worse is we often discover contradictory information, with vested interests promoting their “one size fits all” solution as to what’s best for you without even knowing who you are.

On my journey I have found seven key steps or speed bumps to prevent unhealthy aging.

Step 1: Begin With The End In Mind

A lot of emphasis is placed in our society on our financial legacy. But little value is placed on how we want to be remembered. This in my view is a more meaningful legacy. It could be a video, a written memoir or a life journal.

It is also the life you have lived. When someone thinks of you, what will they think or say—you were loving and kind, always cheerful or…. When we are clear about our purpose we can live the life we were destined to live and leave the world a better place than when we arrived.

Step 2: Build Harmonious Relationships

In every moment of our existence we are in relationship with family, friends, community, ourselves and God. When we are conscious of these relationships, we can evaluate their kind and quality and make an effort to enhance them. When we’re not our relationships control us.

Step 3: Love the Skin You’re In

The condition of our skin shows how comfortable we are with who we are. When we take care of our inner self and feel good about who we are on the inside, it will be reflected in our outer self, particularly our skin. We will glow and our light will be visible on our face.

Step 4: Follow The Magic Formula—Nourish+Cleanse=Balance

Balance

Even if we’ve not made the best choices in our lives, and have a degenerative condition such as being overweight, having diabetes, heart disease, cancer, arthritis or pain, we can reverse the process and regain our balance. It’s balance that is the key point from which we spiral upward.

When you are off balance, you focus all your energy, either consciously or unconsciously on regaining that balance or homeostatic equilibrium. If you don’t you just can’t function.

Nourish + Cleanse

There is so much information about different eating styles and diets that it can be stressful just trying to figure out what your body needs to feel good.

Our body’s naturally long for balance or homeostasis. So if we nourish our bodies with a wide variety of whole life giving foods and support our body to cleanse it will regain it’s balance.

We can nourish our emotions, our thoughts and our hearts too. When we eliminate our negative thoughts and emotions we can have inner balance and peace too.

Step 5: Change Your Beliefs Change Your Life

When we transform our self limiting thoughts and beliefs we choose freedom to live our passion and be of service to others.

Step 6: Walk In The Light

What kind of speed bumps are you putting into your aging process? Unless you have a clear vision of how you want the rest of our life to go, you will be at the mercy of forces that direct you instead of you directing them. When you develop strategies and take action you create a foundation for physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well being so you can walk in the light instead of the shadows.

Step 7: Each Step Is A Transition

Each step is both an end and a new beginning. If we continually tie up the loose ends of our life, we can take the next step in joy, without baggage.

While death is inevitable, how we live our lives is not. If we face each day from our light instead of our fears our transitions will be easier for ourselves and our loved ones.

Let’s Dialogue

Do you have any “speed bumps to aging” to share with us. I’d love to hear from you.

Let’s Walk Together

Starting May 17th I am offering a  three week online workshop which will focus on The Magic Formula in Step 4.

Click Here For More Information And To Register

To Your Healthy Choices,

Joyce Friesen Founder, The Novalis Integra Centre for Healing and Transformation

Have you ever felt like this?

You’re upset and feeling awful, and you just can’t seem to shake it.

You’re anxious, moody and irritable without being able to pinpoint the cause.

Oftentimes you can’t sleep or you oversleep because life doesn’t seem worth living. You overeat and gain weight.

Your relationships are strained or broken. People don’t seem to want to be around you as much anymore.

You’re fatigued. Your ability to think and concentrate isn’t very good. Even making a decision is often too great an effort.

Everyday tasks seem like climbing a mountain. If you can work, it’s almost unbearable.

Life becomes a struggle. You push yourself just to get going. But you’re trying to keep up a good appearance.

You feel there is a dark cloud over you, and it’s even blacker inside. You just feel numb.

As for the future, it’s bleak. You feel worthless, useless and hopeless. You even feel guilty because you think you shouldn’t be feeling the way you do.

You have frequent thoughts of death or suicide because you feel life just isn’t worth living.

This describes a good part of my life. I was depressed. What’s more for a long time I didn’t even realize what the problem was.

I was a living façade trying to appear happy and together. I was living my life “out there”, while drowning my sorrows in alcohol–until I had a super woman meltdown.

Research has been unable to pinpoint the specific causes of depression, but there seem to be a combination of factors–genetic predisposition, biochemical, environmental, and psychological.

Depression affects twice as many women as men and for a long time I pondered why.

Recently a friend of mine painted the following picture for me and I had a huge “aha”.

Imagine a teeter totter in balance over the fulcrum. Now imagine that one side is way down and the other side is way up.

There is a person sitting on the side touching the ground totally depressed. On the other end high up, is another person full of anger. That person full of anger is throwing his rage on the person below and blames her for what’s wrong in his life.

And the person, usually a woman is taking on the blame and responsibility.

Particularly as women, we accept that whatever went wrong is our fault. We feel guilty if we don’t.

Since women’s biggest problem is insecurity, we feel we don’t have the right to assert ourselves.

So we take on too much that isn’t ours and we feel resentful. The result, we turn our ill will onto ourselves and become depressed.

Since the early 1980’s the conventional way to treat depression has been to prescribe SSRI type antidepressants.

Sadly in 2005 Paxil and Lexapro were the top two drugs prescribed. What’s even more disconcerting is that both are antidepressants.

On their respective websites it indicates that taking their antidepressant might increase your risk of suicidal behavior and thinking. Sounds to me like the cure is worse than the disease!

Glutathione

What’s interesting to note is that people with depression almost always have below normal levels of Glutathione.

What’s more low levels of glutathione have also been linked to a number of other conditions including Chron’s Disease, HIV/AIDS, autism, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, asthma, heart attack, stroke, and cancer.

A number of medical doctors, including Dr. Luc Montignier, 2008 Nobel Prize winner in Medicine, have had promising results treating various conditions by boosting glutathione levels.

That’s because your body’s most powerful antioxidant is Glutathione. It’s found in every cell of your body.

The bad news is that your body’s production of Glutathione naturally declines to 10% at age 70.

If you have a toxic liver your levels will be even lower.

This is caused by all the pollution and toxins in our environment, not to mention drug and alcohol abuse.

And now with the radiation coming from the reactors in Japan and spreading across the globe we have radioactive toxicity.

The key to detoxifying radioactivity from our cells is the master antioxidant Glutathione.

CLICK HERE to read what Dr. Mark Allan Sircus says about Glutathione and radiation.

So don’t you think it’s time to increase your Glutathione levels?

The most powerful way to do this is through your own body. And there is only one way that will maximize your body’s potential. And that is with the Redox Signaling molecules in ASEA.

ASEA is the only source of stabilized Redox Signaling molecules outside the body, molecules that your body already makes, but are in short supply as we move through life and age.

Verified by independent research, the redox signaling molecules in ASEA increase the production of Glutathione in your body by 500%.

So why not give ASEA a chance and see what it can do for you.

CLICK HERE for more information.

Do you have a story about overcoming depression? If so, please share it so others can benefit from your journey.

To Your Joyful Self,

Joyce Friesen, Founder The Novalis Integra Center For Healing and Transformation

Are you ready to love and embrace all of you? Then romance yourself and life will romance you in return.

The Beatles song, “All you need is love” is indeed true. All we need is love, but that love has to start with loving ourselves totally. The Golden Rule of unconditional love and extreme self care is “Do unto yourself as you would have others do unto you.” This creates a whole new perspective, doesn’t it?

Here are some suggestions on how to do this.

Accept yourself

It’s only through total acceptance of self without judgement that you can accept another. If we accept ourselves completely, then we won’t beat ourselves up when we don’t meet our expectations. When we don’t see fault in ourselves we won’t see it in others either.

Be your best cheerleader

Enjoy the journey. Celebrate every success, no matter how small.

Give to yourself

Spend time with yourself and do what you love to do. We’re often told that we need to take other’s needs into account before we take time for ourselves. So we give and give and give until we’re empty and then there’s no time left for us. The result is we feel resentful.

Be kind to yourself

Tell yourself frequently how much you love and adore you. Say, “I am the best” or “I’m pleased with myself”. This builds intimacy. If we don’t love ourselves we won’t take full responsibility for our lives.

If we’re unhealthy, angry, stressed and depressed other people will not want to be around us. If we don’t care for ourselves how can we care for and serve others?
Call a spade a spade without criticizing yourself. Don’t play victim and don’t hide. Accept full responsibility for your actions. Acknowledge your weaknesses, resolve to address them and then do it.

Forgive yourself

Ask yourself for forgiveness each time you make a mistake. Then grant it. God does, so why can’t you? Don’t replay the movie over and over in your head. Let it go and forget about it.

Romance yourself

Fall in love with yourself, all of you. If you aren’t good at loving yourself, it will be almost impossible for you to love someone else. This love is selfless not selfish. So be in your heart and not your head.

Love is the energy that flows through our hearts, connects us to ourselves, to each other, and to our universal Source.
Your essence is love. So let it in and you will let God in.

I can hear you saying, this sounds wonderful but I feel stressed just thinking about doing all this. It’s such a tall order.

The good news

Well I’m here to tell you about a novel way that you can support yourself so these changes can be made with ease and with joy.

Neuroscience has made significant advances in identifying numerous abnormalities in key cellular biochemical systems. Among these is the antioxidant defense system and redox signaling.

Our cells are threatened and become damaged by stress, sunlight, radiation, toxins, negative thoughts and emotions, endotoxins, burns, chemicals, viruses, fungus, and bacteria.

When this happens our antioxidant defense system and our redox signals may become overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the problem. Oxidative stress that cannot be effectively countered results.

This will affect your mood, you may become depressed, have sleep issues, develop chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia, your anxiety levels rise, and your oxytocin levels decline. As you know oxytocin is called the love hormone.

Besides disruption of your redox signals, scientists have also determined that production of these vital molecules declines by as much as 90 percent by age 70.

Elevate your mood, get rid of your depression and pain, and love your cells with ASEA. This will happen because ASEA is balanced redox signaling molecules.

What’s more these molecules will increase the production of Glutathione, the body’s master anti-oxidant and super oxide dismutase (SOD) by 500% to strengthen your antioxidant defense system.

So why not Romance Yourself by powering up your cells.

Empower your body at the cellular level to do what it knows how to do! Visit www.PowerUpYourCells.com to see what I mean!

To loving yourself,

Joyce Friesen Founder, The Novalis Integra Centre for Healing and Transformation

A new consciousness dawns on earth and within each of us on the eve of the New Year. Then on New Year’s Day our Supreme Lord watches the New Year with Compassion, Concern and Fondness as it begins to bloom.

Looking Ahead By Leaving The Past

The old year gave us what it could, so we must not keep looking back at what we’re leaving. If we do we will most likely think of our misery, struggles, sorrow and failures. Rarely do we look at the past with joy and gratitude.

As our purpose in life is to move forward rather than look back, we must forgive and forget our past. Imagine you’re a runner and suddenly you look back. What happens? You’ll probably stumble and fall.

When we look forward, just like the morning sunrise, we will see a bright new dawn blossoming deep within us. Our challenge is to bring it forward in peace and joy with new hope, faith, clarity, courage, inspiration, and excitement.

We aspire to go beyond our present capacity and achievements when the New Year dawns, which is why we make New Year’s resolutions.

According to Steven Covey, a good way to start is “Begin with the end in mind.” When you get to December 31, 2011 what kind of memories do you want to have?

Keeping Up The Intensity

We often start our New Year with such intensity and feel we are accomplishing so much that we feel we deserve a break and so we relax.

Or we quickly get sidetracked in the movie reruns of our doubting and fearful mind telling which tell us we’re not good enough, we don’t deserve it, we can’t do it, and a lot of other defeating self talk. We then make all sorts of excuses, even blaming outer circumstances as we stay stuck on the treadmill.

Research has shown that by the third week of January our resolutions are often all but forgotten.

Even if we have made it beyond January, as we move through the year we may feel that life has become tedious and monotonous. We are tired and we lose our inspiration to go on.

To become unstoppable, if we feel that every day we have something significant to accomplish, we will advance. Each day is a new beginning but if we feel that each dawn is also the continuation of yesterday’s journey, we will feel the continuum of the journey.

At the end of the day, give thanks for being alive and affirm that tomorrow you will again travel another mile towards your ultimate Goal.

The Inner Journey

As we focus on our inner journey of self discovery, transformation and self transcendence, our outer goals will magically become reflections of our inner evolution as we manifest the divinity within.

The more we listen to our Inner Guidance and intuition the faster we will become fearless and accomplish our mission. This Guidance will energize, encourage and inspire us.

Never Give Up

Progress may be gradual as there is no quick fix like we’ve been led to believe. So even if you’re slow down don’t stop, just make steady progress because when your goals for the New Year are met you will definitely feel it was worth the struggle.

If we’re absolutely determined and persevere, the Universe will come to our aid immeasurably. When we claim our goals by becoming one with them, the dream and the reality become one because we have entered into the very heartbeat of our goals.

Let’s Dialogue

I’d be delighted to hear from you how you feel about New Year’s Resolutions.

Do you make them? Do you keep them? What kind of progress do you make?

If you don’t make New Year’s Resolutions, how much progress do you make in a year when you compare it year to the previous one?

To Your Inspiring and Aspiring 2011,

Joyce Friesen Founder, The Novalis Integra Center

Recently a friend sent me a story. It brought tears to my eyes as I was reading it not only because the story itself was moving, but also because I could relate to it at a very deep level.  It brought back a very profound memory. What will it do for you?

But before I tell Jack’s story I’ll tell you mine. After you’ve read the stories I’d be delighted if you would share your story about time.

My Story

I grew up on a little farm of only 6 ½ acres, four miles north of Mission B.C. Canada. Our house was on the slope of a big hill. People from the eastern part of Canada and the US might call it a mountain.

From our dining room window we had a view of the valley below and our neighbor’s farms down the road.

The parents of the families of two of our closest neighbors were brothers and sisters, so the children were double cousins. Between the two families there were 12 children and I only had one brother and he was almost seven years older than I was.

So I would often “live” at one or both of the neighbor’s houses. When it was dinner time, my mother would call me with a whistle if I didn’t come home when I was supposed to. She used a whistle because in those days we didn’t have a telephone.

I called both sets of parent’s aunt and uncle because I was so close to all four of them and their children were my dearest friends. When I was in my preteens one “uncle” downed in a boating accident, and shortly thereafter she remarried and moved away.

As my own mother died when I was 18, I became even closer to the remaining “aunt and uncle”, but particularly to Aunt Mae. She was a kind and gentle woman, who had spent two years in a tuberculosis sanatorium when she was in her late 40’s.

She was an incredibly self-giving woman. Her giving and love were totally unconditional. She would always take the time to answer my questions which were numerous, and even vetted my Grade 12 exams, when I had to take a year out from school because of a car accident.

She and my “Uncle Pete” stored furniture for me when we sold the family farm and I went off to university. She remembered my birthdays, invited me to visit and always kept in touch.

As I created my own world in Vancouver, I travelled less and less back to Mission. In fact, for years I didn’t keep up my part of the friendship except for sending a Christmas card.

But I always knew she was there for me, completely without judgment, always loving, always willing to support me whenever I needed to get back to my roots.

She died a couple of years ago at age 92. I regret that I didn’t take more time to nurture our friendship. I often thought of her but rarely took any action beyond the thought even though I sometimes felt guilty when she came into my mind’s eye.

It was not only my loss, but also hers as she was always grateful and happy to see me. We gave each other joy.

Looking back I realize there’s no greater gift in a relationship than to love give joy to each other.

I thought I was too busy with more important things to do than to take the time to keep in touch. But we only have time and how we use it is the key.

Now Here’s Jack’s Story

You may have heard it before, but I feel it’s worth telling again.

It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, girls, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams.

There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.

Over the phone, his mother told him, “Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday.” Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.

“Jack, did you hear me?”

“Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It’s been so long since I thought of him. I’m sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago,” Jack said.

“Well, he didn’t forget you. Every time I saw him he’d ask how you were doing. He’d reminisce about the many days you spent over ‘his side of the fence’ as he put it,” Mom told him.

“I loved that old house he lived in,” Jack said.

“You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man’s influence in your life,” she said.

“He’s the one who taught me carpentry,” he said. “I wouldn’t be in this business if it weren’t for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important…

Mom, I’ll be there for the funeral,” Jack said.

As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser’s funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.

The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time.

Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time. The house was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture….Jack stopped suddenly.

“What’s wrong, Jack?” his Mom asked…

“The box is gone,” he said

“What box?” Mom asked.

“There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he’d ever tell me was ‘the thing I value most,’ ” Jack said.

It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box… He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.

“Now I’ll never know what was so valuable to him,” Jack said. “I better get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom.”

It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died. Returning home from work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox. “Signature required on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next three days,” the note read.

Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The small box was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention. “Mr. Harold Belser” it read.

Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope.

Jack’s hands shook as he read the note inside.

“Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It’s the thing I valued most in my life.” A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, as tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch.

Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover. Inside he found these words engraved:

“Jack, Thanks for your time! Harold Belser.”

“The thing he valued most was…my time”

Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two days. “Why?” Janet, his assistant asked.

“I need some time to spend with my son,” he said.

“Oh, by the way, Janet thanks for your time!”

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away,”

Caught in the hustle and bustle of life you may not realize it, but it’s 100% true. Reflect on this for a moment.

Your Are A Gift

There are at least two people in this world who love you unconditionally, just for who you are.

There are at least 15 people in this world and probably more who love you in some way.

A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don’t know or like you. Believe it or not, your smile increases the beauty of the universe.

Every day, SOMEONE thinks about you even if you’re not aware of it.

You mean the world to someone.

If not for you, someone may not be living.

You Are Special And Unique

There has never been or ever will be anyone in the history of the universe that has your experiences, capacity or understanding. Don’t you think it’s selfish not to share your unique gifts with the world? This moment is the only time you have.

If you have a friend, take the time to let them know how much you value their friendship.

Surrender Takes Time

When you think you have no chance of getting what you want, you probably won’t get it, but if you trust God to do what’s best, and wait on His time, sooner or later, you will get it or something better.

Be grateful that you have the capacity to act!

Let all the people you care about know about this Blog post. If you do, you will certainly brighten someone’s day and might change their perspective on life…for the better…and forever.

If you have a story and insights on how you gift your time, please share it with your fellow readers.

And to all of you reading this, ” Thanks for your time”.

Joyce Friesen, Founder

Novalis Integra Center for Healing and Transformation

Digestive issues such as gas, IBS, colitis, Chron’s disease are rampant today. So are food intolerances to gluten, dairy, and soy. What’s more we have hypo and hyperglycemia, along with hormone imbalances, which often result in weight issues.

All these symptoms and issues are the result of nutritional deficiency stress or toxicity. Sound incredible?

As far back as 1936, US Senate Document 264 revealed the soil in which our food was grown no longer had the capacity to sustain our health. Particularly lacking were minerals, as necessary to our body as oxygen.

If the nutrients and minerals are not in the soil they cannot be in the plants grown in these soils.

And this is only the beginning…

To make matters worse, we dump more and more pesticides, herbicides and fungicides onto plants and into the soil every day. Where do you think it all ends up? That’s right—in your body and the body of animals you eat.

What’s more foods such as dairy, sweet, refined and processed foods will cause our internal pH to become acidic. Acidic terrain is a perfect environment for bacteria and fungi, like Candida to grow.

Too, we have pasteurized and homogenized milk which our body cannot easily digest or utilize. And then there’s wheat that’s been hybridized to increase gluten which destroys the villi in the small intestines of sensitive people.

And that’s not all. The Canadian government was behind the creation of canola oil, a hybrid of the highly toxic rapeseed. It is claimed that canola oil is healthy, but I can find no research to back this up. What’s more, 50% of canola is genetically modified.

And don’t overlook the fact that genetically engineered foods alter the good bacteria in your gut. Is it any wonder we have so many digestive issues?

When we start genetically altering Mother Nature and hence the human body, which through evolution has adapted to the food supply, we create an environment which can only degenerate our body and cause early death.

It’s not really our fault that we’re in this situation because we haven’t been given all the facts to make an informed choice. In fact, a lot of information has been suppressed.

What is our responsibility is educating ourselves and then making informed choices to achieve the level of health we desire.

Eating fast food, laden with additives, MSG and preservatives because we believe we don’t have the time to prepare nutritious food, is just that—a belief.

So you can see when you go food shopping what you buy and what you believe about what you eat will directly impact your health and vitality today and long into the future.

I invite you to give me feedback on this Post.  Let me know if you agree, disagree or don’t care or any other comment you feel inspired to make.

To Your Conscious Eating & Conscious Living,

Joyce Friesen Founder, Novalis Integra Center for Healing and Transformation

What is food? This may seem like an odd question at first blush.

But when we really look deeply at what food means to us we might be embarrassed to say that we don’t really think a lot about it.

At least not about what it was intended to do.

But we’re often obsessed with our cravings and guilt around food. It’s as if food was somehow our enemy instead of what gives our bodies life.

We make a lot of fuss about how our waistline is getting bigger. Or how many points we’re using on an popular weight loss plan. We trade points as if we’re playing the stock market instead of realizing we’re playing with our life.

Often we give little thought as to whether the “points” we’re substituting have any nutritional value. We feel a certain glee that we’ve been able to keep our points in line while having that sweet we’re craving, never listening to our bodies cry for real food.

In fact, I believe that every person who has a weight issue is starving. They’re starving for whole, pure nutrient dense foods. Those natural foods on which we have thrived for millenia.

And we probably don’t love themselves very much either or we would take better care of their bodies.

Cravings are often a deep need for love we can’t seem to get from someone out there, so they stuff our faces with forbidden fruits. I know because I’ve been there.

We believe that love can only come from someone else, forgetting who we really are—pure, unconditional love.

How many times, other than Thanksgiving, do you actually sit down at a table, turn OFF the TV, and give thanks for your food.

And even if you sit at a table, are you reading some newspaper or magazine, gulping down your food so you can rush off to the next activity.

When is the last time that you focused on what you are putting in your mouth, how it feels, and savored its taste?

After you’ve eaten did you pay attention to how your felt? Were you tired? How about any digestive issues?

The way I look at it, is this. We live in a country where every kind of food is available. But how conscious are we about what we eat and what it does to our bodies.

Did your plumped up Thanksgiving turkey come from a factory farm, or did you buy it fresh from a local organic farmer or market?

For the vegetarian folks, did you try to copy the old days when you ate turkey, by buying fake meats made from highly processed and toxic soy?

Even though I’m a vegetarian, I could never figure out the attraction to fake meats. Anyway, when I did eat them to be polite, I always got a migraine headache because of the MSG or glutamic acid in them.

I’m still polite but I’m very careful about what I put into my body because I now love my body now.  It’s my friend and I want it to run in great condition for quite a few more years.

There’s one thing for sure. If you have any physical symptom, illness or mood disorder, there will be a nutritional deficiency stress and/or toxicity component to it.

Our Adulterated Food Supply

Ever since the Industrial Revolution we’ve experienced a rapid decline in the nutritional component of foods along with increased toxicity.

Let me give you an example of profound significance.

With the advent of the roller mill, flour was ground with steel instead of stone. The bran and germ were efficiently removed.

One of the problems that plagued stone ground flour was that insects infested it. It made a yummy meal for them.

With the creation of the roller mill, white flour could be efficiently and quickly produced and became highly desired. Its nutritional value was evident—almost nil. No more insect infestation because even the insects couldn’t live on it.

Sounds incredible, but here’s what “they” did. Instead of returning to the more nutritious stone ground whole grain flour, which by the way is still available today, “they” decided to enrich the flour with synthetic vitamins.

These vitamins have no life force and don’t do the job they’re supposed to, but we’ve been duped to believe they do. In fact the liver believes they are a toxin so it tries to get rid of them.

As far back as 1936, US Senate Document 264 revealed the soil in which our food was grown didn’t have the capacity to sustain our health as it once did. Particularly lacking were minerals, as necessary to our body as oxygen.

If the nutrients and minerals are not in the soil they cannot be in the plants grown in these soils.

To make up for this loss, we have created an entire industry—the supplement industry.

Have you ever carefully read or listened to the ads for supplements—even those coming from health food stores. Isolated nutrients, often synthetic are touted as the answer to your every woe.

So where do we get the nutrients we need to be healthy? More about that later.

And depleted soil was only the beginning…

To make matters worse, we dumped more and more pesticides, herbicides and fungicides onto plants and into the soil every day. If something is in the soil, and or on the plant where do you think it ends up? That’s right—your body and the body of animals you eat.

What’s more foods such as dairy, sweet and refined processed foods will cause our internal pH to become acidic. This is wonderful terrain for bacteria and fungi to grow. Candida fungus overgrowth is rampant today, particularly amongst women.

Too, we have pasteurized and homogenized our milk so it’s no longer food our body can easily digest or utilize.

And then there’s wheat that’s been hybridized to increase the gluten content, which destroy the villi in the small intestines of sensitive people.

And that’s not all. The Canadian government supported the research which created canola oil, a hybrid of the highly toxic rapeseed. It’s claimed that canola oil is healthy, but I can find no research to back this up. What’s more, 50% of canola is Genetically Modified.

And don’t overlook genetically modified/engineered foods that scientific research has proven alter the good bacteria in your gut. Is it any wonder we have so many digestive issues?

In Canada we have been spared the GM bovine growth hormone, through the courageous efforts of Dr. Shiv Chopra.

Click here to read the amazing story.

Alas, our American friends have not been so fortunate, so their hormonal systems are even more out of whack than ours.

When we start genetically altering Mother Nature and hence the human body, which through evolution has adapted to the food supply, we create an environment which can only degenerate our body.

Dr. Mercola has written an excellent article about researchers who have been stifled because of what they have discovered about GM foods.

And he shows us what the latest research is showing about the horrible effects of GM food.

Take another step forward from the rat studies Dr. Mercola talks about and think what GM foods are doing to us and our children.

Click here to read the article.

Then I challenge you to take action. Truth is, the only person you can change is yourself and there is no better time than now.

Don’t wait until you are sick to think about it.  At that time you’ll just have enough energy to stay alive. Prevention has and always will be the best cure.

And it will show that you love your body and are thankful that you have the knowledge to care for it, since you have only one body. If we don’t take care of it where are we going to live?

When you educate yourself and make informed choices, you set up a vibration that will be picked up by others.

You will influence people through your passionate commitment.

So you can be thankful that others cared to inspire you to action. Others will be grateful that you’ve cared enough about them to take the time to educate them.

If they don’t want to hear that’s their choice. And if they don’t like what you say, that’s their choice too, but you’ve done what you feel inspired to do.

In the article Dr. Mercola also gives us ways to become proactive. If we work together we will force our governments to be responsible. Our future depends on it.

What’s at the bottom of all this adulteration of our food supply? It’s the seedier side of business (no pun intended)—greed, shelf life and transportability which in the end is all about money.

It has absolutely nothing to do with your health.

No one is going to pay attention to what food nourishes you unless you do. It’s your responsibility.

One thing for sure though is that you don’t have to buy products that will degenerate your health and well being. You do have choice.

When you make a conscious choice to love yourself you will love only the food that nourishes you.

This is good news. As you educate yourself about what really nourishes your body, and eat those foods, you will naturally make better choices because your taste buds will change.

And you will no longer be a slave to fast foods, adulterated and processed foods.

If you eat whole, nutrient dense pure, non-GMO, pesticide/herbicide/fungicide free foods, minimally prepared you will reap amazing health benefits. And add to the food mix powerful herbal nutrition.

It’s not really our fault that we’re in this situation because we haven’t been given all the facts to make an informed choice. In fact, facts have even been suppressed and twisted. And we’ve been deliberately lied to in many cases.

It’s time to awaken and discover the truth about food, packaging, ingredients, labelling and advertising.

Only through information and knowledge can you make wise choices that will not only maintain but regenerate your body so you can live the life you were destined to live.

So pay the truth forward. If you haven’t watched the movie Pay It Forward, I highly recommend it. It will change your perspective if you feel that you can’t make a difference in this world.

As Arnold Schopenhauer said:

All truth passes through three stages.First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.

I hope this Thanksgiving will be the most enlightening, grateful and joyful one you’ve ever experienced.

Joyce Friesen, Founder Novalis Integra
Center for Healing and Transformation

I’d be delighted if you would leave a comment so we can continue the dialogue.

Each moment of our lives is part of our journey. In fact it IS our journey.

The question is are we conscious of where we are going or are we letting what’s outside us control our thoughts and actions.

But it’s not just what’s outside that sends us off in one direction or another.

It’s also our thoughts, our emotions, our fears and insecurities, along with the drama of our past which controls us until we have released and transformed them.

When we take the first step of our journey consciously, we are on the path to wholeness, which is the secret to self discovery.

I like definitions and so here’s the definition of  “wholeness” that I like best.

It’s by Urielle at www.knowth.com/

“WHOLENESS is the Energy of completeness on an individual scale. It gives one a sense of personal unity, harmony and balance by connecting the self to the Self. In spite of any negativity of circumstances, a person who can be, “do”, or use this Energy will find harmony within self. This inner harmony will affect outer circumstances. On a Physical Level this Energy manifests as good health, while Emotionally and Mentally there is an integrity of character which is so integral to one’s being it is noticeable to all.”

I would add to the physical, mental and emotional another level of harmony and that is the psychic. The psychic level is our spiritual heart and our soul. When we are whole in our hearts there is no insecurity, no uncertainty. We radiate unconditional love.

When we are one with our souls, we are clear what our destiny is and we are focused on both our inner and outer evolution.

Being consciously on the sunlit path to wholeness we live integrally in all parts of our being connected to every part of our vast cosmos.

When all five levels are working together consciously and harmoniously, we become unstoppable totally in tune with our divine power. We live in joy and fulfillment in oneness with all.

I have collected some profound quotes on harmony that have been a great inspiration to me. I hope you will find them as enlightening as I have.

Click Here To Read Some Quotes On Harmony

For centuries the pathway of the Western world has been one of reductionism and materialism. We’ve divided everything into the smallest particles possible and reduced life to the lowest common denominator.

This has led to separation and competition where greed and power dominate. We’ve become mired in frustration, depression and ultimately degenerative disease, which are all various forms of ignorance. Ultimately these roadblocks have prevented us from discovering our true selves.

Beyond Duality To Oneness

It’s when we go beyond this duality we move life forward and find the key to life.

Have you ever asked why we have so many illnesses and degenerative diseases today which were relatively unknown before the Industrial Revolution?

Think about it. The Industrial Revolution was the beginning of our modern technology to split everything out and up into ever smaller particles.  And we began to view our life and our bodies as separate little bits to be cut out or up as modern medicine saw fit.

If we take the holistic approach, we will ask the question, “Did God really give us any spare parts?”

We rarely look below the surface to find a cause. Yet if everything is connected, how can a physical symptom be isolated from the whole.

I believe that each physical symptom has a mental and emotional cause. To relieve the symptom we need to find and eliminate the cause.

Rising rates of diabetes reflect a lack of sweetness in our lives.

What’s more obesity has reached almost epidemic proportions because we are shielding ourselves from others and even ourselves through our weight.

And now for the number one killer—heart disease. We have lost our hearts connection with our soul. What’s more our hearts are disconnected from our heads where all the separation started, and we have allowed our heads to rule our hearts.

So we scurry around looking for the elusive quick fix—that one pill, one course, one therapist, one food that will fix all our problems.

We spend billions of dollars on solutions “out there” forgetting that walking the path of wholeness or oneness is an inside job.

Oneness is the path of the heart, connecting our heart to all levels of our being and the infinite whole.

Oneness is the pathway of realisation and self discovery. It’s the continual wonder of the “aha” experience in each moment.

It’s like a drop of rain. When it falls from the sky, it is just a drop. When it falls into the ocean it is embraced by the ocean and becomes one with the power and consciousness of the ocean. It is still an individual drop but it has become the ocean itself.

To walk the pathway to wholeness requires receptivity. Not the openness to wrong forces of fear, doubt, depression and frustration which are always ready to attack us, but the receptivity to the love, concern and compassion of the Divine.

This receptivity can only happen when we are cheerful, which is a powerful spiritual life energy.

If the patient is cheerful, no matter how much suffering has been endured, the God-doctor can infuse more cheerfulness so the patient can be cured to live their life’s destiny.

The pathway of wholeness is living in the eternal newness of life. Always there is something new to achieve or become. It’s waking up every morning and singing a new song or discovering a new melody.

Living in perfect harmony with ourselves, with God, and with the world, while walking the pathway of unity in multiplicity, we are whole.

Finally we realize we are one with the whole world, in service to the divine in each other and all of creation. I indeed we are the creation.

Walking my path to wholeness, I discovered seven principles which I believe are keys to living an integral life. I hope they will add more depth to your experience and understanding.

Click Here To Read: Live The Integral Life

I invite you to share your thoughts on living a whole life.

Do you agree or disagree? What resonated with you and what didn’t?

I welcome any insights to expand our collective awareness in living life as a whole. It is a relatively new concept in the western world, so let’s explore it together.

To your perpetual growth,

Joyce Friesen, Founder The Novalis Integra Center

July is an auspicious month for Canadians and Americans, both of whom are born of a common British heritage.

For Canadians July 1, 1867 is the day the British North America Act was enacted which created the Dominion of Canada. For Americans July 4, 1776 is the day of the Declaration of Independence.

American Independence

The 1776 Declaration of Independence, revered by all Americans as the foundation of their nation was written by Thomas Jefferson.

Thomas Jefferson was a prolific writer. Although his works are readily available, it was not until Eric Peterson was inspired to compile Light and Liberty, “the book of inspiration that Thomas Jefferson never wrote, although every word here is his” that we have an amazing collection of his words on a variety of topics.

“After extensive study of Jefferson’s reports, state papers, speeches, and twenty thousand letters, [Eric Peterson] has elegantly woven together thirty-four concise essays of profound wisdom on how to lead a meaningful life, both as individuals and in our life as a nation. The subjects include patriotism and liberty, hope, forgiveness, patience, and humility, all considered in Jefferson’s uniquely rational and eloquent voice.”

If you don’t have this book, I suggest you get it and read it, no matter what country you are from. I’m sure it will have a profound effect on you like it did on me.

Click here to read more about Light and Liberty.

Canadian Independence

The United States declared total independence from Britain in 1776, but it was not until 1982 that the Parliament of Canada passed the Constitution Act requesting full political autonomy from Britain.

Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau was the driving force behind the 1982 Constitution Act.

In the following quote Trudeau expresses the aspiration of every Canadian:

“Our hopes are high. Our faith in the people is great. Our courage is strong. And our dreams for this beautiful country will never die.”

Having a national flag is also a form of independence. Nobel Peace Prize 1957, Lester B Pearson, and the Prime Minister responsible for adopting the red maple leaf as the symbol for the Canadian flag, said:

“Whether we live together in confidence and cohesion; with more faith and pride in ourselves and less self-doubt and hesitation; strong in the conviction that the destiny of Canada is to unite, not divide; sharing in cooperation, not in separation or in conflict; respecting our past and welcoming our future.”

Symbols Of Peace Between Canada And The United States

There are many visible testimonies to the harmony and cooperation between Canada and the United States. The following four are the most significant for me. I invite you to comment on these and tell us about others that inspire you.

The Peace Garden

“Devoted to World Peace, along the world’s longest unfortified border, lies a 2,339 acre Botanical Garden. Thousands of tourists are attracted to the garden, annually.

In June 1932, the Cairn of native stone was hurriedly constructed by stonemasons, William Paterson and his son, Edroy, of Rugby, North Dakota for the July 14, 1932 dedication. Over 50,000 people gathered for the dedication of the International Peace Garden. The Cairn is located directly on the United States and Canadian Border, flanked by each country’s flagpole on the designated side. The Cairn is built of aboriginal hammerheads collected by children in the surrounding areas. In July 17, 1960, the globe of red granite with etched meridian lines, a gift from Great Northern Railway Company of St. Paul, Minnesota, as a memorial to its founder, Canadian born James J. Hill, was added to the top of the Cairn.”

On the face of the Cairn it states: “To God in His Glory… We two nations dedicate this garden and pledge ourselves that as long as men shall live we will not take up arms against one another.”

Click here to read more about the Peace Garden

Waterton Lakes

“Waterton Lakes National Park and Glacier National Park (in the US) share the designation of an International Peace Park.

On May 2, 1932 and June 16, 1932 the American and Canadian Governments approved legislation for the creation of the world’s first International Peace Park. The International Peace Park is a symbol of peace and goodwill between the United States and Canada. It also represents the need for cooperation and stewardship in a world of shared resources.

This is not only reflected between countries, but also between provinces, with the Akamina-Kishinena class A provincial park in British Columbia, located on Waterton Park’s Western Border and Glacier’s northern border.

Today, both parks strive to strengthen their International Peace Park status through shared management, not only between themselves, but also with their other neighbours.”

Click here to read more about the Waterton Lakes International Peace Park

Peace Arch

There are three distinct missions of the United States Canada Peace Anniversary Association (USCPAA)

“One is to promote and preserve the unique heritage of peaceful relations between the United States and Canada. Integrating educational curricula relating to peace issues is an important part of this undertaking.

The second is the perpetuation of the Peace portal and the surrounding park areas for future generations.

Enhancing the serene and natural settings is the third. This is accomplished through the promotion of visual and performing arts, bringing together peoples sharing ideals of world harmony exemplified by the seamless border between the U.S. and Canada.”

Click here to read more about the Peace Arch

Niagara Falls, Sri Chinmoy Peace-Blossom

Sri Chinmoy, a spiritual teacher, who made his home in Queens New York, initiated the Sri Chinmoy Peace‐Blossoms Program where over 1100 landmarks around the globe have been dedicated to peace.

“The Peace‐Blossoms family offers daily reminders to thousands of individuals of our common quest for personal and international harmony. This family encompasses 152 Sri Chinmoy Peace‐Blossoms‐Nations, several borders between countries, half of the states of the US, many provinces, more than 200 capitals, cities and towns; striking man‐made structures such as the Taj Mahal and Sydney Opera House, and magnificent natural wonders as Mt. Everest, Mt. Fuji, the Matterhorn, Niagara Falls, Victoria Falls, Iguaçu Falls, and Lake Baikal.”

In the words of Sri Chinmoy:

“O dreamers of peace, come.
Let us walk together.
O lovers of peace, come.
Let us run together.
O servers of peace, come.
Let us grow together.”

To read more about Sri Chinmoy click here

And now I invite you to share your thoughts and feelings about peaceful relations between Canada and the United States on the occasion of our celebrating the anniversaries of our founding.

Tell us know if you know of any other peace initiatives between Canada and the United States.

And finally, how can our two great countries play a greater role in fostering peace and world harmony.

To our continued peace and harmony,

Joyce Friesen, Founder The Novalis Integra Center For Healing and Transformation