Update

I thought that I'd better give you an update about life in general

• The Light Touch Reflextherapy manuscript is now completed. All I need do now is to proof read, check and clean up the illustrations and find a publisher (is that all?) If I go down the self publishing route it should be out by end of May. Watch the web site for details. I shall make a start on the 'Homeopathy and Acupressure' book when this has been completed.
• My own health is not exactly wonderful. It's 3 months since having a decompression and spinal fusion on the neck and the pain levels are still bad. I guess that recovery will take months not weeks. As my wife keeps reminding me, I am no longer Superman! Sadly I have had to pull out of going to Bath for the ACPEM conference next month, also to Tuscany where I was going to give a 3 day workshop - these things can't be helped but I feel very guilty about letting folks down.
• The Brits always talk about the weather - so why not me. The contrast in the UK weather has been ridiculous. In the south east and east midlands, they are virtually on hose pipe bans through lack of rain - here in the north west of Scotland we have had more rain in the last year that in the last 10 that we've been living here. From 1 March 2011 to 29 Feb 2012, we had 53 dry days out of the 366 - the postman gave me that stat. He's been living here all his life and he's never known anything like it. If someone, though, mentions global warming I'll shoot them!!! And don't get me going on 'carbon footprint' - JRC

Powerful Points PC 8

One of the very best self help treatment points must surely be PC 8. It is situated in the centre of the palm where the middle finger nail of a clenched fist touches the palm. Please note it is not 'dead' centre of the palm. The great asset of this point is in calming the mind and clearing 'heat' from the head, throat and chest regions. It is colloquially called the 'stigmata' point, for obvious reasons.

PC 8 is said to be the Hand chakra point. This is a minor chakra acupoint that is linked to both the Foot chakra at Kid 1 (minor) and the Crown Chakra at Gov 20 (major) to give a triad of points that are used in stress release and calming the mind. It is one of the most useful sel help acupoints on the body and helps with relaxation, easing tension headaches, dizziness and hypertension. It is a much easier point to use that Kid 1 and is use extensively in qigong and other Eastern body work and martial arts as a point of focus and to generally strengthen chi.

Ten weeks down the road since surgery on my neck, I am still very sore. I am just hoping that things will start to improve by themselves - there is no way I am going through surgery again. I am, though managing to crack on with the LTR book and am now on the penultimate chapter. I shall be checking out some self publishing firms soon as I think that is the best way to go.

We have endured a very wet winter (quite different to the remainder of the UK) - with just 53 days out of 366 days without rain 1 March 2011 to 29 Feb 2012. No problems with low reservoirs here. Snow and gales forecast for the next few days - joy!!