Debbie Mandel’s
Turn On Your Inner Light
Weekly Wellness Newsletter
February 13, 2005
www.TurnOnYourInnerLight.com


Affirmation of the Week
 Sometimes it’s not holding on
that makes you strong,
but rather, it’s letting go.
Weekly Wellness Radio Show

The Turn On your Inner Light Radio Show airs Tuesday evenings 7:00 to 7:30pm, on WGBB 1240AM in Long Island. Listeners outside the Long Island area can listen to the show live by going to WGBB Live. The shows are archived for your listening pleasure.

Guest of the Week - Ramy Gafni

On February 15, 2005 - Ramy Gafni, makeup artist to the stars and author of the soon to be released book, Beauty Therapy: the Ultimate Guide to Looking and Feeling Great with Cancer. Learn about: Minimum makeup, Maximum impact.

Health Tips of the Week

  • A diet rich in kelp (sea weed) may decrease a woman’s risk of breast cancer.
  • Brushing your teeth could help prevent heart disease. Having clean teeth and healthy gums reduces chances of bacteria entering and inflaming the circulatory system. That could make your toothbrush a weapon against heart disease and stroke.
  • For preschoolers at risk for weight problems, even one or two sugary drinks a day add on too many pounds. It's time to cut back on sodas and fruit juices.
  • Steroid injections are as effective as surgery in treating carpal tunnel syndrome!
  • An experimental clot-busting drug made from the saliva of a vampire bat can restore blood flow to the brain as long as 9 hours after the onset of stroke symptoms. Currently the only FDA-approved clot-busting treatment for stroke is tPA which can only be given within 3 hours of a stroke.
  • When a lab rat drinks a couple of beers, he or she maintains her trim figure by cutting down on other sources of calories. Apparently, rats have internal signals which cue them to stop eating and drinking. However, we are more complex creatures overriding our internal signals because of social pressures, cute advertising and the buffet meal. We need to return to our internal stop signs to avoid overdoing it.
  • Feeling a bit cold inside during the winter, try adding some steamy rice and beans which are filled with lots of complex carbohydrates and little fat. In addition, beans are a good source of B vitamins, potassium, and fiber for your diet. Also, warm up with baked sweet potatoes which are packed with calcium, potassium, and vitamins A and C.

Article of the Week -
How to Overcome the Fear of Rejection

The recent death of the great American playwright, Arthur Miller reminds me of our eternal struggle with rejection. In his best known play Death of a Salesman Willie Loman felt useless and old. He had compromised his creative talent to work with his hands to become a salesman to pursue social validation. Therefore when people stopped smiling back to Willie, it was a virtual death sentence. Like Willie, we are all salesmen, selling ourselves in order to be well-liked, but at what personal cost?

From the moment we are born we have an innate fear of abandonment because our survival depends on the benevolence of others. However, it comes with a price. We must obey the gentle giants in our lives. We would think that as soon as we reach adulthood and can earn a living, that we are free at last. However, nothing could be farther from the truth. We still look to our parents and our family members for approval – even if they are no longer living! Then we expand this accommodation to the people who play major roles in our lives and ultimately to new acquaintances – all in the quest to be well-liked.

Just a fleeting thought of rejection hurls us into a fight or flight mode. Either we will do everything in our power to be well-liked or we will run away and never try in order to avoid rejection. Because if we don’t try, we can’t fail! What is so frightening about rejection anyway? It means that we are not good enough! To deal with rejection we need to find our true inner voice and then learn how to use that inner voice to speak up when we feel mistreated, or that our needs have not been met. Growing up as dependent children, we experienced blurred boundaries within the parent/child relationship. Therefore as adults we need to set those boundaries and speak up to those who chip away at our self-esteem criticizing: how we look, the kind of work we do, how we think and how we feel.

It takes courage to face the fear of rejection and shine a light on it. We need to have the courage to say no to others when they trespass on our well-being as well as to stand alone when others erode our beliefs and our essence. Sometimes we have to be the one to reject those who are hurtful and judgmental whether it is a boss, a family member, or a spouse. Sometimes we have to reject the friend who is self-absorbed and rejects our boundaries for time and space. Life is a balance between stability and change, vulnerability and steadfast identity.

Here are some suggestions to cope with the fear of rejection and regain balance: More

Frank Mikulka's Fitness Tip Of The Week
I’ve been progressing nicely with my cardio and strength-training program and my body has responded by leaning out. However, I have hit a snag and am wondering if I should reduce my carbs like my gym friends have suggested. I would like to lose 5-8 lbs to put me right at my target weight. Any suggestions? (Jane, Bayshore). Answer

Send your fitness question to: fitness@turnonyourinnerlight.com

Debbie Mandel, MA is the author of Turn On Your Inner Light: Fitness for Body, Mind and Soul, a stress-reduction specialist, motivational speaker, a personal trainer and mind/body lecturer. She is the host of the weekly Turn On Your Inner Light Show on WGBB 1240 AM in Long Island and has been featured on radio/ TV and print media.

To learn more: www.turnonyourinnerlight.com