Hope in her sunlit treatment room. (The opposite wall, not seen, is filled with figures of angels given to her by patients.)

In the 25 years I have known Hope Woodring, she has become my mentor, my colleague, one of my key health providers, and most importantly, my friend. Like me, she has a background as a teacher and then developed an interest in health and nutrition. I became a co-owner of a health food store, taught cooking classes, and wrote cookbooks and became a nutrition educator, while Hope learned all she could about anatomy and natural healing and became a neuro-muscular therapist and naturopathic physician. Also, we share another similarity. We are also “Sagittarian sisters” with a burning desire to learn. (Sagittarians — end of November to mid-December—are fire signs.)

As a neuro-muscular therapist, she works to remove muscle tension trapping nerves and blood flow to various parts of the body. She is a Board Certified Naturopath specializing in Traditional Naturopathy. A main focus of her work is the emotional aspects of why people do not get well and she also helps individuals find their purpose in life as part of her wellness philosophy.

Hope continuously studies the relationship between muscles and emotions and incorporates neuro-muscular massage techniques, as well as nutritional information, as part of her goal of helping others learn how to help themselves to a healthy life. (See my review of Feelings… Buried Alive Never Die in this month’s Review of Books, Movies, and Websites.)

Because I have been a long-time recipient of Hope’s healing hands, I write from experience. Hope puts a great deal of faith in spiritual healing, that is, in an intuitive kind of healing that she gleans from placing her hands on different parts of the body that tell their own story to her. Her technique is different from anyone who has ever worked on me. It’s a combination of massage techniques, chiropractics, acupressure, and intuition.

Her vast knowledge of anatomy and physiology and foods that are necessary for healing is far greater than mine will ever be, so I look to her when I am “stuck” with an unresolved health problem that I cannot find an answer for myself, through research or trial and error. Even when I go to another healer, I check in with Hope.

Hope is one of my “angels” who helped me through the difficult days following my separation and divorce after 30 years of marriage. I lived at Hope’s mini-farm for one year, packing organic foods to ship all over the country. (This was before organic foods were readily available.) When I first went to live at Hope’s, I was very depressed as a result of my divorce and simultaneous menopause issues. Pulling the weeds in her large garden seemed to be exactly what I needed. Also, Hope was very supportive by giving me the time and space to heal.

Perhaps the most important aspect of Hope’s work is her commitment to healing others and herself. She has a self-help association called Body Renaissance, which emphasizes the fact that we have a responsibility to heal ourselves with the least invasive measures possible.

As she told me, “No one else has an answer to our suffering; we need to become self-responsible and search out the answers and be willing to learn how the body works.” She requests that her patients don’t look for excuses about their health problems and encourages them to be pro-active and to explore all healing options. (Note: Hope is the one who first told me about thermograms instead of mammograms, which was a feature in the October posting under Health Flashes/Special Reports.)

Hope’s philosophy and tender loving care have been beacons of light to me at some of my darkest hours. Her philosophy of the purpose of life is my mantra: TO LOVE OURSELVES SO DEEPLY THAT WE CAN LOVE EVERYONE ELSE AS OURSELVES.

If you want to reach Hope for a tele-conference, her number is 814-355-9850 and her email address is:hopepwoodring@comcast.net. Her fees are very reasonable and she has an “arsenal” of whole food supplements that she can send to you by mail.

P.S. HOPE’S Body Renaissance Association is something that might be of interest to you, so I have enclosed the Declaration of Purpose.

BODY RENAISSANCE IS FORMED TO PROVIDE CONSULTATION AMONG MEMBERS.

I understand that doctors of naturopathy are not licensed in Pennsylvania. By joining this association, I can talk freely with Hope Woodring and other members about health issues and other questions I may have. The Body Renaissance is a voluntary association to encourage health consciousness among its members. The Body Renaissance Association’s main objective is to educate our members to lifestyle and ecological practices to assist in improving health and consciousness. The Body Renaissance will accept as a member any person who supports the philosophy. Cost of membership is a simple matter of contributing $10.00 for a lifetime membership.

Note: If you wish to join, Hope’s address is 104 Neff Rd., Howard, PA 16841.

Feelings… Buried Alive, Never Die by Karol Truman

From the very first chapter of this fascinating work, author Karol Truman, a practicing therapist, describes how our feelings are established, some even while in the womb. Positive feelings on the part of the parents, especially the mother, are transmitted to the fetus. By six months, the growing child in the womb leads what Sarah Belle Dougherty (one of the many sources in Truman’s book) calls an “active emotional life.” During gestation, negative feelings and stress on the part of the mother can cross the placenta “as easily as nutrients, alcohol, and other drugs.”

With each chapter, Karol Truman draws us further and further into her concept that feelings that started before birth can stay buried within us until we release them through a process she calls “The Script,” a kind of self-talk that helps us to dig up those negative feelings and release them. Negative feelings that remain stored can lead to emotional and mental problems and even physical ailments. The author states it this way, “Negative feelings, thoughts, and attitudes eat at our body. Positive feelings, thoughts and attitudes feed our body—nourish our body—sustain our body.”

In her book, Truman develops the idea that there are two basic emotions: fear and love. She describes fear as “the dark room where all the negatives are developed.” (Nice play on words!) The Script uses positive language to dispel old beliefs. For example, this affirmation is suggested: “With total forgiveness and unconditional love, I allow every physical, mental, emotional and spiritual problem, and inappropriate behavior based on the negative origin recorded in my DNA, to transform.” This powerful language can be found throughout the book.

Truman provides 22 pages of lists that help transform negative feelings to positive ones. For example, opposite the word “abandonment” we find the words “cherished, precious, upheld, and cared for.” When someone uses The Script to transform a negative feeling to a positive feeling, these antonyms of the negative word are very useful. In addition, Truman provides 46 pages of references on a multitude of ailments and the probable feelings causing them.

The book concludes with a series of transformations that include letting go of blame and judgment, putting an end to resistance and denial, and becoming excited about getting to know “the real you.”

Take your time with this book. Every page is informative and often transformative. There is much information packed into these 295 pages, most of which deserves your full attention. Simply by reading the book, you will come to understand yourself and your “self-talk” at a new and deeper level.

The book should be available at book stores and health food stores. If you are unable to find a copy, contact FreshLife Foods at 814-355-9850 and they will mail you a copy. The paper back sells for under $20.

(I think these are flowers from our late fall trip to a local garden, but don’t quote me!)