Let Your Spirituality Be Your Guide, Says Noted Doctor
The new year is already well under way. Job deadlines - or job searching - has begun anew, and the stresses of bills, kids in school again, and the sometimes endless treadmill of daily life can make us forget those New Year's resolutions we made not so very long ago.
Physician and healer Amnon Goldstein, who has earned an international reputation for his practice of both Western and Eastern medicines, says it's time to slow down and re-evaluate.
"You've heard it said before and you know it in your heart, but it's the external pressures that leave us feeling stressed, depressed, disappointed and overwhelmed," says Goldstein. "Add to that the lingering economic troubles, families in flux and all of us working harder just to maintain our standard of living and it's easy to forget the most person to take care of first is - you."
Those resolutions to exercise more, eat healthier foods, meditate or otherwise tend to spiritual needs, they should be priorities, Goldstein says. They will ensure you're stronger, happier, and better able to manage the external pressures, maybe even with a smile.
Quiet contemplation and a focus on spiritual growth - no matter one's religion or beliefs - will lead to a clearer vision of how to accomplish the goals set for this year, Goldstein advises.
"Spirituality is no longer linked only to religion," says Goldstein, the author of the recently released book Screwed: The Path of a Healer (www.iuniverse.com), a title that reflects the twisting nature of his global journeys as a healer and his own experiences with depression, divorce and illness.
"More and more people understand that they must nurture both body and spirit, which is why they make the sorts of resolutions they do. No matter how difficult your life, it will become easier and more joyful if you keep to those goals."
Israeli-born Goldstein has practiced medicine around the world using conventional Western, traditional Eastern and less-familiar spiritual and mystical methods. In Screwed, he chronicles the path to wellness, understanding and enlightenment, a journey that takes the traveler to unexpected places.
Goldstein has known the horrors of war, witnessed the birth of new nations and experienced the mysterious healing powers of unconventional medicine. As a physician he has explored unconventional approaches to age-old physical and mental health challenges, embracing an over-arching philosophy that a life well-lived is not one which follows a straight or uncomplicated path.
Goldstein advocates proper nutrition as the basis for good health (no overeating, no dairy, no sugar), and exercise and meditation as the foundation of healthy living.
"We can live healthier and more fulfilled lives by looking inward," Goldstein says. "Most of us will find that we have everything we need to celebrate the holidays in one form or another - either a healthy family, a warm home or some aspect of our lives that brings meaning. Expectation of perfection at this time of the year is toxic to our minds and spirits. Every healing is self-healing, but we need to take the time in the midst of our busy lives to take care of ourselves."
About Amnon Goldstein, M.D.
Amnon Goldstein is a physician with more than 40 years of experience in conventional Western medicine and holistic and Eastern medicine. He has specialized in trauma care, vascular surgery and hypnosis, and has done in-depth study into the evolution of HIV and cancer research and treatments. A resident of Florida, Dr. Goldstein retired from medicine but continues to travel the world, learning, teaching and sharing with others the healing powers within each person. He is the father of three grown children.
