Open Letter to Pres. Obama

I created this chart to illustrate Dr. Thie’s vision for healthcare reform and to illustrate that we understand where the boundaries are and we do not cross those. Assisting me in the creation of this chart was Rob Aboulache, a healthcare consultant with Kaiser Permanente and Norma Harnack, RN, a veteran of traditional healthcare who works as assisting nurse in the Operating Room as well as a Faculty Member teaching Instructors how to teach Touch for Health.

As you can see in the chart, these energy balancing techniques are useful for working with many of the troublesome but non-life-threatening and non-serious healthcare issues that face us in our daily lives. Importantly, they can be used by lay people and professionals.

We recognize the training and skills of our healthcare professionals. If we, God forbid, suffer a heart attack, have difficulty breathing, serious bleeding, broken bones, etc., please call 911. We are not trying to work in that area and we are very strict in teaching our students to respect the heroes in what Dr. Thie liked to call, the area of Heroic Medicine. But, these services are extremely expensive and are needed for the truly serious situations. For many of the common, everyday issues that face us, Complementary and Alternative Medicine offers many benefits when used and applied properly.

President Obama, I applaud you for taking on a very difficult problem facing Americans. Healthcare affects the cost of our cars and every product and service provided in America. So, if you can solve problems in this area, you are helping many… families, big business, small business, the overall economy and our ability to compete in the world.

What can you do as President?
1.	Expand the Health Care Debate to include Complementary and Alternative Models (CAM)
2.	Encourage Health Freedom Bills
3.	Recognize contributions of CAM
4.	Encourage Research into CAM
5.	Encourage Insurance and Medicare Coverage of CAM
6.	Restrict attacks by the Medical Establishment and Pharmaceutical Lobby

We can relate to a recent experience of yours, Mr. President! We read where you and your wife received criticism from the Agrichemical Industry for planting an Organic Garden at the White House!⁵ Like you, Mr. President, we believe that it is our right to be able to pursue the healthiest options available to us and I applaud your demonstration of these principles. Like you, we also see opposition to our efforts by the medical, pharmaceutical and agrichemical industries. We seek your leadership in recognizing our contributions and place in the solution and we seek your protection from stronger forces whom may feel threatened.

Lower cost and more cost-effective alternatives like Touch for Health and the energy kinesiologies are being ignored.

Access to healthcare is being restricted by the rising insurance rates and the refusal of Insurance Companies to offer coverage to those with pre-existing conditions. Because of the high costs, Insurance Companies are also refusing to cover certain procedures.

Mr. President, I was a pioneer in the application of the microprocessor, and later the Personal Computer for solving complex problems for some of the largest organizations in the world. I started my own high tech computer consulting and custom software development firm in 1986 and in 2009 I entered my 23^rd year in business. There have been times during this period where I saw Insurance Costs go out of my reach as a small businessman. Our knowledge and experience in Touch for Health was very helpful once we were shut out of the healthcare coverage system. 47 million Americans were in that same place BEFORE the current economic crisis. What is that number now?

Insurance companies are primarily determining access and dictating care in the U.S. today. There is also an increasing use of Emergency Rooms for standard and non-emergency issues due to lack of insurance. In a study of the world’s healthcare systems, the World Health Organization ranked the U.S. 37th in the world in Quality and Accessibility.⁹ We can do better!

Volume… our healthcare system has evolved into a network of specialists using expensive high-tech systems for diagnosis and treatment. There are not enough of these to meet the demands and their costs prohibit purchase so the volume of patients exceeds the ability to meet their demands and the costs are so high that people are being excluded.

Standard Usage rates challenge the healthcare system, Baby Boomers will tax the system, the uninsured tax the system, the undocumented residents tax the system, all while emergencies overload the system and Pandemics and Epidemics have the potential to cripple the system. How will healthcare be delivered then?

Focus on Disease and not Wellness… as Dr. Thie said, there is much more to being healthy than just the absence of disease. Currently, the focus of mainstream healthcare is curing disease and not on helping people stay healthy. Those are two different points of reference. Our system seems to be good at saving lives but, not so good at helping people remain healthy.

Sometimes, to save a life, these inherent dangers must be carefully weighed by individuals before choosing treatments, procedures or prescriptions. But, if there were a safer way, would it not automatically be a healthier alternative?

Alternatives are being ignored even though the scientific evidence is increasingly providing positive results.

For many years, in our practice of the energy kinesilogy techniques, we have seen improvements that occur sometimes almost instantly and we have searched for the answers to explain the results that we were experiencing. Recent scientific studies are beginning to provide answers through science for the effects we see when using our techniques. When we are using Acupressure, we are using the same energetic meridians of Acupuncture but we use non-invasive touch rather than needles to achieve similar results.

In 2004, a U.S. NIH Study showed, “Acupuncture provides pain relief and improves function for people with osteoarthritis of the knee and serves as an effective complement to standard care. Overall, those who received acupuncture had a 40 percent decrease in pain and a nearly 40 percent improvement in function compared to baseline assessments.”¹²

Pert continues by saying, “I think something we are skipping in our discussion of practical applications for mind-body health is body work: the touch therapies of massage, chiropractic, and any other modality that includes the body as a means of healing the mind and emotions.”

Pert continues… “…information belongs to neither mind nor body, although it touches both. We must accept that it occupies a whole new realm, one we can perhaps call the “inforealm,” which science has yet to explore.”

These biochemical and electrochemical feedback loops that were discovered by Pert and her team help explain many, but not all the effects we routinely experience in Touch for Health and the energy kinesiologies.

Physicist and Researcher, James Oschman, Ph.D., the author of the book, Energy Medicine, the Scientific Basis, states, “The connective tissue and cytoskeletons together form a structural, functional, and energetic continuum extending into every nook and cranny of the body, even into the cell nucleus and genetic material. All forms of energy are rapidly generated, conducted, interpreted, and converted from one to another in sophisticated ways within the living matrix.”¹⁵

Church continues, “This crystalline structure of the collagen molecules that make up your connective tissue has a remarkable property: it is a semiconductor. Semiconductors are not only able to conduct energy in the way the wiring system in your house conducts electricity quickly from one point to another. They are also able to conduct information.”

And in his book, The Genie in Your Genes, Dr. Church summarizes that our thoughts can effect our body’s ability to produce healthy cells by stating, “The signals from our brains are communicated via the matrix of energy conduction within our bodies constantly. Every thought you think is echoing through your connective tissue communication system, turning genes on and off, producing either stress responses or healing responses. This undertaking opens a vast new panorama of potential self-healing.”

Mr. President, we understand that the Healthcare Crisis started BEFORE the recent Economic Crisis and before your taking office. The current healthcare system is much too expensive and too many people are being shut out. There is a large need for a model of self-responsibility and personal empowerment like Touch for Health, the other energy kinesiologies and many other CAM models represent.

In summary, Mr. President, as a nation and world, we need long-term, cost-effective solutions that focus not only on Illness, but also Wellness and the ability of people to maintain their own daily health. Do you give a man a fish or do you teach a man how to fish? We teach people how to fish and empower them with options to improve the health of others and themselves.

I ask of you, Mr. President, please change the debate, to include Complementary and Alternative Modalities such as Touch for Health and similar disciplines. We need holistic approaches in an overly-specialized world. I believe that by utilizing safe and cost-effective Complementary and Alternative Techniques is the only way to achieve a long-term and cost-effective solution.

Mr. President, I would like to personally invite you to our TFHKA – EnKA – IASK - CanASK International Conference to be held at the Hyatt Hotel Dulles, July 17 – 20, 2009. We will have experts from around the world at this conference and you can see for yourself some amazing demonstrations of the capabilities of these disciplines. My talk will be 1:15 pm Monday, July 20. I hope to see you at our conference. I have enclosed brochures for you.

2. International College of Applied Kinesiology Professional AK Website 2009.
What is AK? / About Dr. George Goodheart
http://www.icakusa.com/goodheart1.php

13. Candace B. Pert, Ph.D., Molecules of Emotion, Pages: 274, 306, 261. Google Books

14. Dawson Church, Ph.D, The Genie in Your Genes - Epigenetic Medicine and
the New Biology of Intention, Page: 146 FORA.tv

15. James Oschman, Energy Medicine - the Science Behind It @ EnKA /TFHKA
Conference 2007 Salt Lake City, Utah, Page: 109. James Oschman - a Short Biography

16. Dawson Church, Ph.D, The Genie in Your Genes - Epigenetic Medicine and
the New Biology of Intention, Page: 132, 137, 49 Google Books

Earl Cook - Earl’s first holistic education was in the area of International Relations where he studied history, philosophy, finances, psychology, geography, science and religion in assessing situations and formulating solutions. He remained in his university an extra year so that he could formulate and write a suggested foreign policy for the U.S. (it was not adopted). Later, Earl became a microcomputer pioneer in the late 1970’s where he worked ‘holistically’ as an expert with both hardware and software and their application in the fields of electronic communications. As a consultant and programmer, Earl worked solving complex problems for some of the largest organizations in the world and used his skills and knowledge, once again, from multiple areas to create solutions. In an era of specialists, Earl has skills and experience in multiple disciplines and is a developer of advanced relational database applications. Relational software fits the ‘holistic model’ and is a great tool for implementing the TFH protocols. Since 1976, Earl and his wife, Gail, have studied and practiced the holistic Touch for Health energy kinesiology protocols. Earl is the designer and programmer of the eTouch for Health software system which is being used in homes and clinics in over 60 countries of the world. He is an outspoken proponent of using new alternative energy sources for helping meet the energy challenges as well as a proponent for including Complementary and Alternative disciplines as part of the overall healthcare solution.



	Dear President Obama An Open Letter by Earl Cook Presented During *KINESIOLOGY AROUND THE WORLD* 2009 Combined Annual Conference for Touch for Health Kinesiology Association (TFHKA) Energy Kinesiology Association (EnKA) International Association of Specialized Kinesiologists (IASK) Canadian Association of Specialized Kinesiologies (CanASK) July 17-20, 2009 Hyatt Hotel Dulles Washington, DC
	It is a pivotal time in history, especially, in American history. Whatever happens in the United States affects the rest of the world in some manner. By chance, grace or destiny, the 2009 combined annual conferences for the Touch for Health Kinesiology Association, Energy Kinesiology Association, International Association of Specialized Kinesiology and the Canadian Association of Specialized Kinesiology are being held together in Washington, DC on the eve of one of the biggest and most important debates in American history...how to fund the existing healthcare system? But, there is no discussion on including more cost-effective, safer and less invasive Complementary and Alternative techniques! Newly-elected President Obama has promised healthcare reform and decisions will be made this summer in Washington, DC that will change the future and history of America. How amazing is that we are meeting as a group in the metro-area of Washington, DC on the eve of these debates? Earl Cook has sent an Open Letter to President Obama and inviting him to our conference. Will he come? Will he ask questions? Will he send representatives? Is this the opportunity that Touch for Health and all the related energy kinesiology groups have been waiting for? In his talk, Earl will share his letter, the invitation and the results. Expect this to be a lively time and be ready to make sounds that can be heard on Capitol Hill and around the world!

	June 18, 2009 President Barack Obama President of the United States 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500 Re: Healthcare Reform Dear President Obama: These are challenging times in many ways. Healthcare and it’s cost are at the center of many issues in American life and industry. Mr. President, you promised change for the future. I wish to inform you that Touch for Health and the other Energy Kinesiologies represent an option for change and improvement in addressing the U.S. Healthcare Crisis. What defines the U.S. Healthcare Crisis? Increasingly, the Public, Business and Government can not afford our healthcare system. It is an overloaded system and doctor’s face-to-face time with patients is decreasing. It is exclusive as prior conditions are not covered when people need coverage the most. It can also be said the healthcare system is dangerous as Americans are dying because of: drug interactions; drug side effects; infections from medical procedures and facilities; and medical mistakes. The current system is built upon expensive high-tech diagnostic systems, surgery and dependence upon expensive pharmaceuticals. The current system is increasingly expensive and exclusive. But, the current healthcare debate is only about, ‘How to Pay for the Existing System?’ There is no debate occurring on including more cost-effective, safer and viable Complementary and Alternative options as part of the solution! We offer viable options. We are not offering a replacement for the current system but offering Complementary Services that are more Cost-Effective Alternatives for non-life threatening issues and safer Alternatives that are based on safe and non-Invasive techniques. Our focus is on Wellness and Health and we have a 35+ year history of safe self-care for lay people built on self-responsibility and a synthesis of age-old eastern techniques coupled with modern discoveries. Our techniques are also increasingly being supported by recent scientific studies. Most people already practice self-care so we are not introducing anything new in this area. People routinely ask themselves: “I feel bad, do I go to work today?”; “Do I send my kids to school if they are feeling bad?”; “Should I miss work and risk my job if I feel bad?”; “Should I go to work in pain?”; “I feel bad today, but my appointment with my doctor is next week!” The reality is that according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, The Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the United States, 38% of Americans have tried some form of alternative methods and that figure goes up to 62% when prayer is included in the figure.¹ Mr. President, Americans are already being forced to look for alternatives due to costs, exclusion from the system and due to the fact that people are looking for safer, less invasive and more cost-effective solutions. Is it inhumane, unethical and unrealistic to ignore these facts by not including Complementary and Alternative Healthcare models into the debate on reforming American Healthcare? What is our place in healthcare? We focus on energizing and activating the body’s own healing capabilities. Importantly, we do not diagnose or treat disease. We recognize the skills and capabilities of our medical system and we refer all serious and life-threatening issues to professional healthcare providers. As I said earlier, our model is Complementary with and Alternative to modern healthcare. One area that we are complementary is in the area of pain control. We have natural techniques that are often times very effective in reducing various types of pain. We also have very effective methods for reducing the effects of emotional stress. Our techniques are also effective in returning the facilitation and range-of-motion of inhibited muscles. We are Alternative in that our techniques will sometimes work when nothing else will. We focus on the cause of physical/emotional/mental pain rather that the elimination of just the symptoms. We recognize the holistic nature of our body and we take into account the complex inter-relationships of our mind, body and spirit. Are we audacious in thinking that we can contribute and make a difference? Touch for Health has 35-year history of safety in practice. We have an international network of instructors teaching the same curriculum and we have available an extensive collection of instructional materials: books; DVDs; charts; and sophisticated computer software. In the U.S., we have a national instructor network and our Touch for Health Kinesiology Association has held an annual conference every year since 1974. The U.S. has figured prominently in the modern discoveries and creating what we call the Touch for Health Synthesis. Dr. George Goodheart, Jr. D.C. discovered the relationship between the standard muscle test and reflex points that would facilitate an inhibited muscle. These discoveries were expanded to include the link between the muscles ability to lock and the energetic meridians of Traditional Chinese Medicine.² Other doctors and researchers continued to expand this knowledge and in 1973 Dr. John Thie, D.C. wrote his ground-breaking book, Touch for Health. This book and natural healthcare model present a sub-set of these discoveries which are used in a non-diagnostic model.³ Many other discoveries and contributions have been made by Dr. Sheldon Deal, Dr. Walter Schmitt, Dr. Bruce Dewe, Dr. Alan Beardall, Gordon Stokes, Dr.s Paul & Gail Denison, Hap and Elizabeth Barhydt and many others. These early discoveries have also spawned many offshoots such as Energy Medicine by Donna Eden, Applied Physiology by Richard Utt, Energetic Kinesiology by Hugo Tobar, Neuro Training by Andrew Verity, eTouch for Health by Earl & Gail Cook and many other branches of energy kinesiology. A few more facts about our Founder, Dr. John Thie, D.C. In 1973 he wrote Touch for Health, a widely-distributed self-help manual which introduced basic Energy Kinesiology to Lay People all around the world.⁴ Touch for Health (TFH) is used in over 100 countries and has been translated into 16 languages. In his 35-year career, Dr. Thie personally balanced over 500,000 people using the TFH energy balancing techniques. Millions of people around the world have safely benefited from the Touch for Health techniques since its introduction in 1973. Dr. Thie made some basic assessments about healthcare which I think are extremely relevant into today’s debates over healthcare reform. Dr. Thie stated on many occasions: “Up to 90% of the common everyday healthcare issues we face in our lives do not require the attention, skills, resources or time of our highly-trained, over-worked and expensive healthcare professionals.” “A large percentage of health issues have an emotional or stress component and should be addressed holistically.” “We should always try options like Touch for Health first which are the least invasive, safest and most cost-effective. If they work great! If not, then move to the next higher level of healthcare professional.” The chart on the next page illustrates Dr. Thie’s main points. On the left of the chart is Wellness/Low Cost/Low Invasiveness while the right illustrates Serious and Life-threatening Illness/High Cost/High Invasiveness.