A Note on “When to go to the Doctor?”

Author: wilson-admin-main

A Note on “When to go to the Doctor?”

Posted on by wilson-admin-main

In reading a lot of your posts on different Facebook sites it has come to my attention that some people seem to have a confusion on exactly when to take your child or your family member to the doctor.  Many of us are inclined to use “home remedies”, I know.  But how do you know when and how long to do this before we take ourselves and our family members to the doctor?

For many years, one of my jobs was to be the liaison between people coming for services and their medical doctor when needed.  When I started this position, I had the impression that a lot of doctors and medical professionals would over-prescribe or would “poo-poo” any use of natural healing substances.  I have to say that the majority of the time this was not true.  Most of the medical professionals I worked with were often cautious, but willing to look into alternatives as long as they a) did not contradict their knowledge and b) worked quickly enough.  That said, of course there are some medical doctors that did not agree to look, but it is at the same time good to remember that we are hiring these doctors to help us and to inform us. To that degree we have the opportunity to interview and choose a doctor that will work with us.

In a Technical bulletin of 12 March 1969 L. Ron Hubbard wrote and was clear about this:

“The body is capable of having physical illness, acute (momentary) or chronic (continual).  Broken bones, pinched nerves, diseases can any of them occur to a body independent of any mental or spiritual action.

“The mind or spirit can predispose the illness or injury.  By this is meant a person can be distraught and have an accident, or decide to die and get a disease.

“But the disease or injury when he’s got it is a body circumstance and responds best to skilled medical (ordinary, usual, put on a tourniquet, set a bone, give a shot) treatment.”  LRH

Some people have the mistaken idea that Scientologists refuse or will not seek medical treatment.  This is misinformation created by the press and people not knowledgeable of the true technology of Scientology.  In fact as you see above, it is not only not discouraged – it is in fact required in instances when needed before counseling can either begin or continue.

So when should we bring our children to the doctor?  I can only advise you this way:

1) Find and read the above reference so you have the complete data.

2) I can tell you what my pediatrician and other doctors have mentioned to me as a parent of two children and that has worked for me:

A body temperature 99 degrees or over is indication of a fever and possible contagion in a human body.  The body creates this fever when there is a virus or bacteria or something foreign in the body in the effort to kill it off.  This is a good thing unless the fever lasts too long (in which case it is not getting the job done effectively enough) or the fever spikes to 102 degrees and beyond.  At 106 degrees the brain is at risk of damage.  And in fact a person can be susceptible to febrile seizures.  A febrile seizure is the effect of a sudden rise in temperature (>39°C/102°F) rather than a fever that has been present for a prolonged length of time.

So the question is how long do you wait to let the body try to burn the infection out and at what point do we take the child to the doctor?  If the child is under 3 months of age, a fever of 100.4 is an indication that you should definitely check with your doctor.  Older than this my pediatrician recommended this:

If the fever is 99 degrees to 101.9, stay home, drink plenty of fluids, keep the child comfortable and quiet and allow them to rest.  You can handle with home remedies.  (The only exception to this would be if the child has a stiff neck.) If after 3 days they are not better, then the infection is usually not viral or too persistent and needs medical attention.

If the fever spikes to 102 degrees give the child some form of substance to bring the fever down to the safer range.  If you are using natural remedies and they don’t work within thirty minuets to an hour they are not working sufficiently enough and this would be an indication to contact your doctor.   If the fever spikes high and stays high, you definitely need to contact your doctor, as an antibiotic or some other medical treatment might be required.

Also, if a young child has diarrhea or vomiting watch closely for dehydration.  Ensure they are drinking some form of drink with electrolytes in them.  If they are not drinking  liquids or cannot keep fluids in them, it is important and imperative that you see a doctor immediately, as they might need to be given fluids intravenously.

It is true that as Scientologists we also, concurrent with the doctor’s orders, deliver assists to help the body heal faster.  A better understanding of what these are and how they are used correctly can be found at the Scientology Handbook site under “Assists for  Illness & Injuries ((http://www.scientologyhandbook.org/SH6.HTM )

But all doctors’ orders and instructions on how to take medications should be strictly followed for the best possible outcome.

I agree that it is not needed to run to the doctor for every little cold or low grade fever, but we must be knowledgeable enough of how the human body works to recognize when there is a dangerous situation that needs medical attention and when there is not.  I encourage each of you to further educate yourselves on this matter, read up, talk to your trusted doctors and other health professionals to get the best working knowledge before illness occurs in your household.

I hope this helps to clear up any possible confusions and worries parents have on the matter.

Sending you love,

Diane DiGregorio Norgard
Mace-Kingsley Family Center
727-442-3922

The Holidays Are Coming

Posted on by wilson-admin-main

The “Holiday Season” in the United States of America runs from mid-October until the first of January every year.  Every month during this time there is a holiday to prepare for, experience and enjoy.  However, with this come challenges for parents and children. It is this I would like to write about here.

Let’s start with the first thing that will come up: Sugar  and sugary treats.  I love sweets!!!!  And most people I know do as well.  But what most medical and nutritional doctors tell me repeatedly is that all bacteria, viruses, yeasts and fungus feed best on sugar!  At a time when most people get together, kiss each other and share good spirit, we are also most likely to eat sugar, hence predisposing us to illness.

Secondly, this is the time most people and children tend to become critical of one another.  Children criticize each others’ costumes, gifts, likes and dislikes.  It is a time during which we will tend to get less sleep, become short with one another and/or make others’ criticisms seem more important than they need to be.

Lastly, regarding divorced parents:  while you might never criticize your child’s other parent to them or in front of them, sadly I have found that grandparents, aunts and uncles or friends are sometimes not so careful in their communications about such things within earshot of the children.  And even if it is not within the earshot of your children, other children have a tendency to repeat things they have overheard.

All these things create stress which can result in the predisposition of illness and injuries.

If you think about it, you will see how this can easily happen. A person starts to feel invalidated (made less of) or evaluated for (told what to think about themselves), this begins to worry him/her.  They don’t sleep well, they might not eat well, thus causing them to worry even more.  Now he/she is not paying attention to what he/she is doing as he/she is looking inward trying to figure out what to do about the situation.  The next thing you know – BAM!  An accident happens that results in an injury.  Or due to the poor nutrition and exhaustion and excess sugar, a bacteria or virus floating around is able to take hold and that person is then sick.

If you look at the whole picture, it will suddenly make sense to you why there tends to be more illness and accidents around the holidays.  It is more than likely not the colder weather; it is more likely the above situation.

So what can we do about this?

I can tell you right now that the chances of you getting your child (or yourself) not to eat that amazing Holiday treat that you only get to experience once a year are slim.  But you can educate your children way in advance as to what sugar does and how it acts in the body.  You can also provide alternative treats for the situations you will be in, at least minimizing the amount of sweets you and your child eat.  And you should take extra vitamins and supplements that are well-documented to boost the immune system just prior to and during this time of year.

I would suggest taking the time to educate the family on the definition of invalidation:  “refuting or degrading or discrediting or denying something someone else considers to be fact.  Basically it is ‘no attention’.  It actually acts as force and is equivalent to being struck.”  (Basic Dictionary of Dianetics & Scientology)

And the definition of evaluation:  “the imposing of data or knowledge upon another.  An example would be to tell another why he is the way he is instead of permitting or guiding him to discover it for himself.”

(Basic Dictionary of Dianetics & Scientology)

Go over why it is damaging to do this.  Act out many examples of how it happens in life and then act out what they could say or do instead.  This will result in three things; them being able to withhold themselves from doing this, to recognize it when it is being done to them and how they can handle it when it does occur.  Drill with them how they can easily ignore those kinds of statements, as these are someone’s opinion and not necessarily a truth. Drill how instead they can put their attention on the good things a person says and on the “fun stuff”.  They can then just ignore those statements and make nothing of them completely. Doing so is not in any way being impolite. You can also let them know that it is totally within their rights to point out to the other person who is invalidating and evaluating that the Way to Happiness says to treat others the way they would like to be treated.  (See The Way to Happiness Booklet Precept number 19 & 20).

Lastly, to those who are divorced:  You generally know those people in your life who tend to hold a grudge or criticize your former spouse.  Speak with them before you get together for a holiday event and explain as pleasantly as you can that you wish to keep the Holidays a happy time and that you do not wish to discuss any disturbing or upsetting things regarding anyone, especially not about your former spouse.  The truth is, if there are any issues between you and that person, it is a personal situation to be resolved between the two of you.  After all, “communication must be good communication: the necessary data sent in the necessary direction and received.”  (The Components of Understanding pg 9 http://www.scientologyhandbook.org/SH3_3.HTM ).  Therefore if those individuals have an upset about your former spouse and they are telling you about it, they are then in violation of two things: 1) good communication (it is not going in the proper direction to be received.)  and 2) They are acting as an unknown third party between yourself and your former spouse. If overheard, then this creates that situation between your child and their parent.

“The law would seem to be:

A THIRD PARTY MUST BE PRESENT AND UNKNOWN IN EVERY QUARREL FOR A CONFLICT TO EXIST.

or

FOR A QUARREL TO OCCUR, AN UNKNOWN THIRD PARTY MUST BE ACTIVE IN PRODUCING IT BETWEEN TWO POTENTIAL OPPONENTS.

or

WHILE IT IS COMMONLY BELIEVED TO TAKE TWO TO MAKE A FIGHT, A THIRD PARTY MUST EXIST AND MUST DEVELOP IT FOR ACTUAL CONFLICT TO OCCUR.”  L. Ron Hubbard (How to Resolve Conflicts booklet  http://www.scientologyhandbook.org/SH8.HTM )

For me, the best handling for this is to remind myself and others of the purpose of the Holiday being celebrated.  I can work hard to grant beingness and enjoy the people around me. (“Granting beingness: to let someone else be what he is. Listening to what someone has to say and taking care to understand them, being courteous, refraining from needless criticism, expressing admiration or affinity are examples of the actions of someone who can grant beingness.”) beingness. http://www.whatisscientology.org/html/Part14/Chp50/pg1021-a.html )

When I find myself feeling upset, I can remove myself from the situation, take a little walk and when I come back, I find things I can admire about that person.

I am not saying it is always easy, but by applying these simple tenets of Scientology you and your children can enjoy your Holiday Season with the least amount of stress and illness.

Here is wishing you the healthiest and most amazing Holiday Season ever!

Diane DiGregorio Norgard
Mace-Kingsley Family Center
727-442-3922

Halloween

Posted on by wilson-admin-main

A couple of years ago I wrote an article on illness and the Holiday Season for the Scientology Parent Site as seen here: http://www.scientologyparent.com/illnesses-and-the-holiday-seaon/

Well during this last week something has come up that made me realize there is something I totally failed to caution about in this article. In the last week alone I have had parents sign up their 4 year olds-8 year olds for counseling because they watched a movie appropriate to Halloween and now their child is having terrible nightmares.

  • So here is my best advice for your younger children:
    Through the next 4-5 weeks make sure to give them more B vitamins—an easy way to do this is to add some Brewer’s Yeast or Nutritional Yeast to their diet. This can be mixed into a smoothie to mask any strong tastes and Nutritional Yeast is less strong tasting than Brewer’s yeast. Or give them a good B complex with a little extra B1 supplement. To have this work the most efficiently it is suggested to always to balance this with extra C and Calcium/Magnesium supplements. If you are not sure of dosages please contact a local nutritionist or Chiropractor that does nutritional testing.
  • Keep in mind that movies that seem mild to a pre-teen and teen are often too scary for younger children. Movies like Harry Potter, Bride of Frankenstein and Zombie movies are the culprit of the latest rash of dreams terrorizing children.
  • Costumes! What could you possibly do about costumes? I suggest you talk to your child about scary costumes. If they are afraid of certain kinds then have them draw out what scares them about the costumes and tell you about it. Just listen and acknowledge you heard what they said. Do not try to explain why the costume is not scary. This is a process suggested in the “Children” Chapter or booklet from the Scientology Handbook. You can find a copy at any library and look at the data on how to apply this exactly. Unfortunately the internet version of the “Children” chapter does not include this. You will have to find the booklet or the chapter in the actual Scientology Handbook. Another procedure you can use is the Locational Assist and this can be found here: http://www.scientologyhandbook.org/assists/sh6_7.htm. Mace-Kingsley Family Center also does sell these inexpensive booklets if you would like to purchase one. Anyone who feels uncertain on how to run these processes, or if the situation is too severe, feel free to contact Mace-Kingsley Family Center at 727-442-3922.
  • As mentioned in the article on the “Scientology Parent” site watch SLEEP and SWEETS: Staying up late and eating foods they normally don’t eat due to parties, Trick or Treating, etc. can lead to being over-stimulated. That coupled with the situations mentioned in 2-3 above, when the child actually does fall asleep these can lead to nightmares.
  • Here is a suggestion for the best way to handle Halloween to avoid nightmares for young children and still have a lot of fun: Rather than Trick or Treating get together as friends and have a little party. Limit the sweets with little party favor toys. If you must watch a movie pick something very child friendly like: “Casper the Friendly Ghost”, “The Lego Movie” or “Big 6 Hero”, “Frozen”, etc. If you must Trick or Treat work together with a number of your friends: You take your, and their kids out to the houses of these friends, you can even trade off. They come to your house, you hand out the treats which are limited sweets and party favors. Then you both walk to your friend’s house, you take their children to the next house, where this friend hands out similar treats, she then takes your children while you go back to your house to continue handing out treats, etc. Hey, I just thought that up! And don’t forget to hand out the same to Tricks or Treaters that show up at your house along with the booklets “How to Make Good Choices” to the younger children and “The Way to Happiness” booklets to the older teens. In effect just be creative on how to shield your child from any really scary costumes, movies, commercials, Haunted Houses, etc. And when you are not able to do that, be aware of things you can do to minimize the scare with good nutrition and getting the child’s attention onto the non-scary physical universe around them and having them draw out the things that scare them.

I hope that this helps you all have a safe and fun Halloween this year!

Diane D. Norgard
Mace-Kingsley Family Center

Good Communication

Posted on by wilson-admin-main

Today I want to write about something that I have to consistently handle with adults and children alike even in my own family. It is something that I even have to remind myself of from time to time and totally give my family permission to remind me of as well. I bet any money you will recognize this one and relate to it. Hopefully you will find some relief from the information as well.

The subject is “good communication vs bad communication (which in fact is no communication). Here is a scenario for you: It is close to dinner time. You just arrived home from a long day, you still have to wait on dinner a bit. The kids are playing around and not doing their homework or chores. Their viewpoint is they had a long hard day at school and they want some down time! Your viewpoint: if homework/chores don’t get done when they first get home, later they are too tired. Besides didn’t they just have some play time the two hours in after school care before you picked them up?

You are tired, you are hungry and you tell the children to go do their homework/chores. You start out well enough but they start to “negotiate” with you in that whiny way children do when they are tired and hungry. And you drop down into antagonism or anger– use force rather than affinity and reality to get them to do what you want. You are communicating to them in a way you feel will get them to do what you want. Right? Or are you?

Here is another one: You are trying to make a point to your spouse. You have totally opposing viewpoints on what to do about a situation. You are tired and a little hungry and you start to argue. He or she starts to get louder and meaner sounding. You cut the communication off and what does the other one say? “I am trying to communicate to you and you are cutting my communication off!” Right? Have you had that happen?

OK, so let’s look at what is the problem in both those situations by looking at a very workable definition of good and bad communication.

First let’s look at bad or no communication:

On page nine of the “Components of Understanding” Booklet, L. Ron Hubbard says:

“There are several ways to block a communication line (the route along which a communication travels from one person to another). One is to cut it, another one is to make it so painful that the person receiving it will cut it, and another one is to put so much on it that it jams. Those are three very important things to know about a communication line.”

So now let’s exam the above scenarios against this information:

If you are threatening the children into doing their homework or chores then the things you are saying are so painful that they just will not receive it! I can’t tell you how many times I hear parents say, “he/she just doesn’t seem to hear a word I am saying!” I have even had the children say to me, “I asked and asked for____ but it was like my parents didn’t even hear me!” “Well show me how you asked?” is usually my next question.

Or here is one I’m guilty of: you lecture and lecture and lecture your child on the importance of something. You start to get upset as you see his/her eyes glaze over! There was too much communication on the line, it got jammed! So why are you getting upset with the child?

Or how about this one: both your children are playing and one gets upset, covers his/her ears and makes a loud noise so as not to hear the other. (He/she just cut that communication).

All of those are just some examples of bad or no communication. There is talk and yelling and words flying but they are not received or understood. No communication.

Now let’s look at what good communication is: (From the same above reference)

“…communication must be good communication: the necessary data sent in the necessary direction and received.”

Ah! So that would be the trick! How do we achieve that, when we are tired and hungry or angry? How can we view the other person’s point of view enough to see what they are not getting about our own viewpoint or our understanding of something?

Well this is what I am trying and it seems to be working pretty well most of the time:

First I had every member of the family understand what is good and bad communication. Then when disagreements occur the first thing we can do is just stop and recognize OMG! I just need to stop forcing my viewpoint on this person and either wait until I am not tired and hungry or angry and talk to them later. Or just remove all other distractions in an up beat manner and with interest in what the other person wants to do, acknowledging them fully, then place the homework or chore in front of them and ask them if they are OK to do it themselves or if they need help!

If I see their eyes glaze over I can force myself to just stop talking and see if they have already gotten my point, ask their understanding and ideas about it and just knock off the one way flow of communication to them.

But even better if I can practice and know to send the necessary information to the right person who should be receiving it and then ensure they did receive it in an interested manner, well that would be the ideal situation.

I know old habits and patterns and handlings handed down from parent to child (who is now the parent) can be difficult to break. And I know that when you are about to lose control, your way, or your desire one can in fact become angry. But all of us can keep it in mind and it is something the whole family can practice together and help each other with.

If there is a time when I start to lose my temper my teenage daughter now will stop talking about whatever was setting me off (instead of continuing) and say, “Let’s eat first.” “Or let’s get some sleep and talk about it in the morning.” And then when she brings it back up she will have thought it through and will give me the necessary data I need to make a decision. Does she always get her way? No, but she does way more often than not and certainly more often than she did before. Knowing this data gave her a tool to help us both work our way to good communication.

I just know that when we do apply this information we both end up being way happier and somehow we both end up getting what we want. So I am passing this magic on and sharing it with you! I hope that it helps you as much as it has my family and the families I’ve worked with.

For more helpful information like this you can contact Mace-Kingsley Family Center at www.macekingsley.com or 727-442-3922 and ask to be on their mailing list.

Wishing you daily joy,
Diane DiGregorio Norgard
Mace-Kingsley Family Center
727-442-3922

Interview: 11 Year Old Preclear Talks About Her Auditing

Posted on by wilson-admin-main

I have one young girl I have been working with since she was 4 years old.  She has been receiving auditing since she was a baby; she is now 11 years old.  I thought you might find it interesting to interview her regarding her experience and thoughts on this:

Interview with L.P.:

You have been receiving auditing since you were very little,

DDN: What do you feel auditing has helped you with the most?

LP: It helped me accomplish many things and helps me get around all my problems.

DDN:  A lot of adults don’t have much reality on what kind of problems children have.  Can you give us an example?

LP:  Well like getting along with your brothers and sisters when they are annoying.  Or your brother’s tackling you when you are playing.  Also, sometimes it is a problem when you are not able to figure out a test.  And sometimes, having to handle teachers when they are upset with the other kids.

DDN:  What do you like about auditing?

L.P. I like auditing because it helps me achieve my goals and to be successful.

DDN: What is the biggest win you’ve had in auditing?

L.P:  I think it helped me.  I realized no matter what problems I have there is a way to get around them.  You just have to find it.

DDN:  Is there anything about auditing that you don’t like?

L.P:  No, I don’t think so?

DDN:  How do you think auditing will help you in the future?

L.P:  I see that it will help me be successful and to have a good life that I will enjoy.  And it helps me be the best I can be, to not have problems.  When you get auditing you are achieving and moving forward and not staying in one spot.

DDN:  Thank you. That’s all the questions I have.

L.P. (Smiles big)  That was easy.

L.P. 11 years old.

We Give Life To The Things We Give Attention To

Posted on by wilson-admin-main

Today I was noticing how we give life to those things we give attention to.

With this thought I also realized that when we give attention to negative things to that degree we create them; when we give attention to positive things to that degree we create them.

Everyone can use this data to better their situations in life in some way or another. And parents can utilize this to better their relationships with their children. The Blackfoot Indians used this with their children with great success.

How did I get so wise? Well I am no guru for sure… I just happen to have access to a very observably workable technology that is easy to learn and use. Contact Mace-Kinglsey Family Center at 727-442-3922 or here, to get the article regarding how the Blackfoot Indians used this and for more information on a very useful technology.