updated 6/26/04
Civilization Survival Tip No. 1
Introduction
by Paul Ingraham, Vancouver, Canada MOREclose
Credentials and qualifications
I am a writer and retired Registered Massage Therapist (unusually well-trained for a massage therapist, a 3000-hour program). I’m almost done with a Bachelor of Health Sciences degree. I am a peer reviewer for The Natural Standard, and a copyeditor for Science-Based Medicine. My most important qualification is more than a decade of workaholic post-graduate study, clinical experience, and constant conversations with readers from around the world, including many experts who have provided countless suggestions and criticisms.
For more information, see: Who Am I to Say? More information about my qualifications, credentials and professional experiences for my readers and customers.
Credentials and qualifications
I am a writer and retired Registered Massage Therapist (unusually well-trained for a massage therapist, a 3000-hour program). I’m almost done with a Bachelor of Health Sciences degree. I am a peer reviewer for The Natural Standard, and a copyeditor for Science-Based Medicine. My most important qualification is more than a decade of workaholic post-graduate study, clinical experience, and constant conversations with readers from around the world, including many experts who have provided countless suggestions and criticisms.
For more information, see: Who Am I to Say? More information about my qualifications, credentials and professional experiences for my readers and customers.
The Civilization Survival tips series was originally commissioned by CBC Radio One for “The Early Edition,” and broadcast between September 30 and October 4, 2002.
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As a massage therapist, it’s my job to keep Lower Mainlanderites going as they struggle to make ends meet in this Canadian paradise, trying to enjoy the beaches and mountains while still earning enough to live here.
Every day I work with people who are stretched like piano wires between these priorities; we come here for the lifestyle and we wind up without the time for it. Vancouver is going, going, gone big city on us — the whole region is no longer the laid-back little Coastal Shangri La that it was for decades. The need for more money, Toronto-style, has been seeping into our community culture. The pace has picked up and the pressure is building. At the same time that our medical system seems to be falling apart, so are we: headaches, insomnia, and stress, oh my!
The Lower Mainland may be one of the most health-conscious places in the world, but we’re also working sixty-hour weeks and exercising only on weekends, lurching desperately off to the slopes while still creaking from a week in an office chair. Here in Greater Vancouver, we have a unique opportunity for both occupational hazards and the finest weekend warrior injuries anywhere.
But don’t despair! For the next week, I’ll be sharing my Lotusland survival tips with you, twice every morning: ten of the best ideas for taking care of yourself that I’ve come across in my career. Here’s a simple one to start things off. I learned this from a friend many years ago, and it’s still the best question I’ve ever heard. It goes like this: if you’re not having fun … what are you doing?
