Humanitarian Service Trip to Guatemala
Hi there. For those of you who don't know me,
I'm Daniel. The purpose of this page is
to help me raise funds for my volunteer trip to
If you're anything like me, there's only one
place you want to be in December 2012, and that's in a
In order to help you decide if this is something
you'd like to donate to, I'd like to give you a little background on me, my
academic trajectory, and perhaps answer some of the questions you might have
regarding this endeavor.
- Who are you?
I'm Daniel Pfleging, a 28-year-old New Yorker
(born and raised), currently working towards attaining my Masters degree in
Traditional Oriental Medicine (MSTOM) at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine
in New York City (http://www.pacificcollege.edu).
As far as Master's degrees go, mine is in a
league of its own when it comes to time commitment and money spent. At present,
it is five and a half academic years (three and a half actual years, using
trimesters instead of semesters), and close to four thousand hours. Most
master's degrees are somewhere around ninety hours.
However, I think it's absolutely worth it,
because my intention is to use what I'm learning to heal people at a level
which our current healthcare system fails to address, as well as to educate people
about how to take control over their own health. I see it as a form of service
for all the blessings I have had in my life, and a way to bring balance and new
life to our healthcare system. The western system is incredibly advanced in
many ways, but tends to place too little importance on living a healthy
lifestyle, and relies far too heavily on dangerous chemicals and invasive
surgeries. Most people are unaware that
in
My ultimate goal is to help cultivate an
affordable, holistic, sustainable alternative and adjunct to the Western
healthcare system for people who desperately need it, using a combination of as
many healing modalities as I feel is necessary to address all the different
aspects of a human being (physical, mental/emotional, spiritual).
The journey starts in NY with Chinese Medicine,
but I have a strong feeling it will take some interesting turns along the way.
- Why
Several reasons:
1. Many similar organizations exist in the
2. I heard about this trip first, and a lot of
my teachers and fellow students will be there. I would like to share this
experience with them, and also use it to help deepen and reinforce the things
I'm learning while I still have these future colleagues and friends as constant
resources.
3. This trip is unique, as it takes place during
December 2012, the historic end of the Mayan Long Count calendar cycle that
we've all heard so much about the last few years. This event won't happen again
for another 5,200 years, so I'd like to be there to witness something of such
profound importance.
- Who cares about
traditional Mayan folk medicine?
Where I'll be going, the people strive to live
in ways that I strongly believe will be necessary to human survival as our
society moves forward. I believe that much of what plagues our modern world in
terms of chronic diseases and mental illness stems from a lack of connection to
each other, our selves, and to the natural world. I am certain that indigenous
cultures practicing their traditional medicines and living in harmony with
nature hold some of the most crucial keys to ensuring both our planet's and
species' survival.
It's no secret that the rates of chronic diseases
and mental illnesses (like IBS, cancer, MS, anxiety, depression, ADHD, etc) are
rising and sadly becoming common even among children. As good as we've gotten
with dealing with some aspects of these illnesses, there's something we're
missing. I think it's imperative that we
open ourselves up to the wisdom of indigenous cultures like the Maya if we want
to get to the roots of these issues, and make a healthier world than this.
There has been lots of research in the past few
years using traditional herbal medicines and shamanic healing techniques to
radically and permanently transform the lives of people who struggled with
substance abuse, depression, and other chronic mental and physical illnesses. I
intend to combine these powerful techniques with the powerful set of skills I
am currently learning to provide people with treatments that will positively
transform their lives in a really big way.
If you see the value in things like Chinese
Medicine, the wisdom of ancient cultures, and getting back in touch with
nature, you'll agree that this kind of experience is not to be missed. It is also the perfect opportunity for me to
see the medicine that I study in action, helping to treat many conditions that
I will never see in the more industrialized parts of our world, getting
valuable insights into being the kind of healer that I want to be, and that I
believe the world needs.
If you have any other questions, feel free to
contact me at [email redacted].
For more information on the organization
I'll be traveling with, please check out the Healer2Healer website at:
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this.
I wish you a long, happy, and healthy
life.
- Daniel Pfleging