Garbage City

How do you get to Garbage City? I must have asked 5 people before the 6th finally responded with something other than an "I don't know." The person looked at me with a look I am still unable to identify and said, "Why would you ever want to go there?" He tried everything to dissuade me from making my journey. He said it was far, that the people were not to be trusted, that there was nothing there. He even suggested someplace else for me to go. I called the person I was supposed to meet and asked if there was some other name I could call the area. It is called Mansheyit Nasser. Okay. I asked a cab to take me to Mansheyit Nasser.

We drove through dusty roads that then turned into muddy "roads" that were barely passable. The streets were so narrow. They were not meant for cars. Not meant for spectators. We got out of the car since the driver could not find the association we were looking for. We walked. The maze of the garbage city revealed itself to be so full of life and pleasant surprises. The city is also replete with heartbreak and the level of ingenuity required. Sigh, people are amazing at surviving with what they have. The garbage city is delicious lemonade.

The plastic area, the metal area, the shampoo cap area, the wires from phones area, the bumper from cars area...every shop had a specialty for recycling. Every shop had a market to sell their recycled goods. Every shop had a supply of discarded items to fuel the business and every shop was full of backbreaking work to be done in conditions that were rough on the body and dangerous for the health.



The gentleman who showed us the wonders of the garbage city sat with us in cafe on the outskirts of the city. He insisted on buying the 3 of us a soda. This is the Egyptian way, he said. We accepted his kind offer and his boundless hospitality. The sense of hope that exploded from the garbage city stuck with me. It was not a sad place as some might think. It was a place of imagination, ingenuity, and promise. It is the kind of place that reminds you that people are good and brilliant. It is a place that inspires you to do more with the gifts you are given. It reminds you that everything can be more. Don't give up or throw something away...adapt and make it useful again!

Jasmine Buttolph, MPH

VMMC as an HIV Prevention Intervention: Non-surgical Options

Prevention alert: HIV incidence can be reduced by 60%! Headlines raced around the globe with these statistics - heavy with promise for a new era in HIV prevention interventions. Not many statistics have the honor of being retained by so many, but most who heard that circumcision can reduce the risk of contracting the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the number, 60%, stuck in hopeful minds worldwide.

Perosnal views about circumcision aside for those for or adamantly against changing the body, one cannot argue with the protective benefit of male circumcision against HIV. 


Voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) is not a new prevention intervention. Many randomized clinical trials have shown that removal of the foreskin reduces the risk of contracting HIV. What is new is the techniques for circumcision in resource limited areas. One must first understand surgical circumcision to understand the non-surgical innovations.

VMMC vs. Traditional Circumcision
Tribal circumcisions evoke a visceral reaction from men and women. A traditional male circumcision is a right of passage that is meant to test one's stoicism when faced with excruciating pain. The practice is not meant to be painless and the circumstances may not be hygienic.

Medical male circumcision is a procedure conducted in a clinical setting with a trained healthcare provider using (hopefully) sterilized equipment and local anesthetic. It is a procedure that involves scalpels and stitches. The pain is still a concern and a right of passage for the boys who undergo the procedure. At a voluntary circumcision of a young man in rural Kenya recently the process seemed intense yet relatively simple. The issue is recovery. It takes 7 days to recover from VMMC. This is not a long period of time, but the risk of infection and other adverse events is high. There is also an issue of sexually active men not abstaining from sexual intercourse during their recovery period. This is an issue.

Non-Surgical Circumcision
Innovators who recognized the market for a medical device geared towards making circumcision recovery times less risky in resource limited areas developed a device that removes the cutting associated with circumcision. Without cutting one does not have to worry as much about any potential lapses in sterilized surgical equipment, post-operative infections, and intercourse during recovery time. Devices such as the ShangRing or PrePex are rings that are placed in such a way to block the blood flow to the foreskin for 7 days. This essentially causes the skin to die and fall off. The rings are placed by healthcare workers trained to apply them. After 7 days the ring is removed by the healthcare worker and any excess dead skin is trimmed with scissors.

Male circumcision is a controversial topic in many societies. Many believe it to be a form of mutilation and others believe it to be an important cultural practice. In some tribes it is a mark of belonging to a certain tribe. For those that do not circumcise it is for the same reason, to be unique and consistent in tradition. Interventions that clearly are in competition with tradition are controversial. Voila! Circumcision. The evidence for the ways in which circumcision is beneficial for HIV prevention is plentiful. There is frustration about the glacial pace of  VMMC implementation in areas affected by HIV/AIDS. There is limited information on how non-surgical circumcision is being received in the field, but the general sentiment is positive. The practical element seems more elusive.

Whatever one's opinion might be; the findings are interesting, the challenges for/against are fascinating, and the future is full of possibilities.

-Jasmine Buttolph, MPH

Abundance is for Everyone

Abundance is for everyone, not just the limited few that life appears to have smiled on. We are surrounded by abundance. Nature is lavish, even wasteful in its abundance. Anyone caring to look will find an abundance of love, joy, money, and health is readily available to everyone willing to accept them. If there is any lack in our lives it's not because there is not enough, but rather, because we are limiting our intake. What we receive in life is controlled by the limits we place on our emotions, behaviors, thoughts and actions. There are many factors involved in why it is so hard for us to open the valve controlling the flow of abundance in our lives. By the time we become aware of the fact that we create our own limits, the beliefs and habits we've developed that produce these limits are so ingrained they are very difficult to change. Society also has its role to play. Since most of the world's governments have become capitalistic societies, it's in their best interest to promote conditions and belief systems that produce large numbers of have-nots. Simple economics tells us that in order for capitalism to thrive, there must be a large supply meeting a large demand and you must have people who are in debt to create a large enough demand to consume that large supply. The simple reality is that the governments of the world make their money from our poor health, debt, and our struggle to "just get by." Their abundance is dependant on our lack. But this does not mean we have to accept these limits. While it's true that most people will never take advantage of it, information about attracting wealth and prosperity is freely available to anyone caring to look. And the law of attraction says that the more you look, the more information you will attract. What fills your life is what you focus on. Learning to create abundance in your life is about much more than simply creating material wealth, it is about enriching your Self as a whole. When you begin to understand the principles and laws that govern Abundance, you begin to understand that you are not constrained by the conditions of the economy or the amount of your present income. Your ability to increase your wealth, live in abundance, and have financial freedom is all based on your understanding of the universal laws that govern the flow of energy controlling your ability to turn potential into reality. Yet there is more to creating abundance than simply placing an order and then sitting back to wait for its delivery. You have to be giving something of value, adding to the flow, in order to make this work. When this is the case people are more than willing to pay for your contribution. Wealth, money, success, love, and health are all forms of energy. Being part of the flow means that you are a participating member. Once you understand how to operate in the flow of that energy, you learn to work with the Source of energy and actively create your reality instead of simply letting random thoughts create a chaotic existence for you. Abundance is about living a healthy, vibrant life with a purpose and experiencing the joy that comes from possessing a strong sense of Self.

I whole-heartedly recommend Carol Look's Attracting Abundance with EFT package to clear all the blocks you have that keep you from attracting whatever you want. Read about it here:
Attracting Abundance

Another great place to learn all you can about using and teaching the Law of Attraction here:
Law of Attraction Training Center

Migraine Headache Relief: No Meds Therapy Reports 80% Effectiveness--Often Works in Minutes

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) -- Stanford Engineer Gary Craig introduces a new approach for migraine headache sufferers. This non-drug treatment is called EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) and, through clinical applications, has provided an effectiveness rate of over 80%.

In essence, EFT is an emotional version of acupuncture except needles are not necessary. Instead, gentle fingertip tapping on precise meridian energy points allow the body's subtle energies (or Qi, as it is called in Chinese medicine) to flow unimpeded. This has proven repeatedly to provide relief from a wide variety of pains, including migraine headaches.

An estimated 303 million worldwide experience recurring migraine headaches. At any one time migraines are incapacitating 20 million people, interfering with their productivity and disrupting their personal as well as professional lives. "EFT can nearly eliminate this problem," says Craig. "While qualified physicians should always be consulted, the rapidity and ease with which this process often works is astonishing."

EFT Practitioner Lindsay Kenny reports on one of her early migraine headache cases as follows: "Sherry was out of medication and out of her mind in pain, so she tried lying on the floor and tapping for relief, not knowing whether or not EFT would help. She said that relief came within minutes of tapping and that the migraine was completely gone in less than 10 minutes. She was delighted and astounded. And so was I. That was the first time I knew EFT could work on such serious ailments."

Although EFT is a new process, it has been discovered by innovative members of the medical community. They have found that it effectively addresses the emotional causes to disease and thus provides relief where other methods fail. As Los Angeles Urologist Eric Robins says, "Some day the medical profession will wake up and realize that unresolved emotional issues are the main cause of 85% of all illnesses. When they do, EFT will be one of their primary healing tools .... as it is for me."

Over 225,000 people have downloaded Craig's free training manual and another 5,000 to 10,000 download it each month. Known as The EFT Manual, it has been translated by volunteer practitioners into nine languages. The EFT website is the sixth most actively visited natural health site in the world.

The EFT Manual gives anyone all the basics so they can apply it right away. It can be freely downloaded at...

Download the Free EFT Manual

Growing Organic Vegetables

Many people know about the benefits of eating organic fruit and vegetables. However, not many people regularly eat organic food. The biggest disincentive is usually the price. Organic veggies are invariably a lot more expensive at the local supermarket. The good news is that anybody with even a modest vegetable garden can grow healthy organic vegetables for a much lower cost than they would buy off the shelf.

Nevertheless, some people avoid growing their own vegetables because they are running short on space, time and the know-how to tend a successful veggie patch. However, organic gardening isn’t as difficult as many people think.

Mulching is one of the main secrets. The regular incorporation of old organic matter helps keep the soil functioning well. Mulching helps the soil retain moisture, suppresses weeds, reduces temperature fluctuations, and can prevent soil crusting. Many organic gardeners find that plant disease problems decline as the health of the soil improves.

Of course, the main reason for growing organically is to avoid the use of chemicals and commercially produced fertilizers and pesticides. Again, this helps to maintain a healthy soil across numerous growing seasons. More importantly, you can be sure that the food your family is eating is free of pesticides and herbicides. While avoiding synthetic chemicals, many organic gardeners approve of and use sprays and other preparations containing naturally occurring materials. Other pest control methods include the use of mechanical devices such as traps. Another favorite is to encourage other animals, which like to eat the pests, to the garden.

For city dwellers who have more enthusiasm than space, container gardening may be the answer. Many herbs and vegetables can be grown quite successfully in containers. These include carrots, radishes and lettuce, as well as crops that bear fruit over a long period of time, such as tomatoes and peppers. No matter what you grow it is important to remember that drainage is extremely important. Another possibility if space is at a premium is to grow herbs and vegetables amongst your flower garden.

You never know, if the prices of organic produce remains high and concerns about food safety grow you might be able to convert that backyard vegetable patch into an income earner as well. For those less entrepreneurial, there is the opportunity to work on projects, such as neighborhood food growing, in order to benefit the whole community. At the very least, home grown vegetables definitely taste better.

Health, Well-Being and Massage

Anyone who has enjoyed a good massage can remember the peaceful, euphoric, even sensual feelings it aroused. Your body felt relaxed and refreshed. A sense of well-being and energy had been restored.
However, the benefits of massage may last beyond the afterglow with a continuing positive effect on your health. For instance, with tight muscles that are a result of disease, injury, stress, and the like.
There are massage techniques that are very effective in releasing knotted muscles, lowering toxins in the system and improving circulation. When the tightness has been caused by stress, a good massage can be especially beneficial in restoring feelings of well-being and health. There are many factors - physical and emotional; internal and external - that cause stress. How you perceive and react to these factors can affect the impact they have on your body. Massage helps you to deal with the effects of these different factors and helps to prepare you and, in particular, your body, to cope with the stressors which you experience as stress and tension.
When preparing for massage, mood is important. Create a soft, ambient mood with dimmed lighting and maybe soothing music and perhaps some pleasing scents. These help to deal with the external stressors that impinge on you by creating a comfortable relaxation zone. The therapist will then work on your body, paying special attention to relieving tension in the back and neck muscles, which are often tightened when you are under stress.
The improved physical feelings naturally lead to an elevated mood and a chance to unwind and forget about stressful events. This helps to deal with the emotional elements that contribute to stress. Circulation is improved when the therapist attends to those areas that trap fluids. Increasing the flow leads to better fluid distribution and aids the elimination of toxins that can build up, as well as encouraging the inflow of fresh nutrients. This also assists in the repair of muscle and other tissue damage and enhances the overall feeling of well being. Additionally, digestion can also be improved. As both stress and poor circulation inhibit good digestion, massage relief facilitates a much better response in stomach and intestinal areas.
One of the more obvious benefits is improved athletic ability and motion. Those who participate in sports massage will often see this but it can also be found with other techniques. The tightening of muscles can interfere with free movement and the action of limbs. Once the tight muscles have been relaxed and the joints become more limber, the stiffness will dissolve. The result is greater freedom of movement. Proper massage techniques may also be used as part of an overall treatment plan to deal with particular diseases and injuries. For instance, those with arthritis; patients who've recently had surgery, and many others, will frequently find that their condition improves more rapidly if their physical treatment includes massage therapy. However, when used as an aid in medical treatment, massage needs to be used with care, as there are some conditions, such as an undiscovered broken bone, which may be aggravated by the massage therapy. Also there are some external conditions, including lesions and inflammation, which need to be dealt with before massage methods can be used. However, it is not difficult to find wide-ranging benefits of massage. Those professionals who work on bodies have long known of the healing power of touch and many manipulative techniques have been developed that lead toward optimum health. Though miracle cures are often exaggerated, there is ample evidence to justify claims that massage can be of real benefit.