Debbie Mandel’s
Turn On Your Inner Light
Weekly Wellness Newsletter
July 4, 2005
www.TurnOnYourInnerLight.com


Affirmation of the Week
 You can always tell an artist
they do their work
whether they get paid or not.
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 - Dr. Laurie Steelsmith

On July 5, 2005 - Dr. Laurie Steelsmith, a naturopathic doctor, practitioner of Chinese Medicine and author of Natural Choices for Women’s Health. Nowadays we can choose our treatment.

Health Tips of the Week

  • Vitamin B6 may help prevent colorectal cancer and reduce the risk for breast cancer and heart disease. Dietary sources include poultry, fish, meats, legumes, bananas, avocados, potatoes, walnuts, brown rice and fortified cereals. Multivitamin supplements contain a good amount. If you take it as a separate supplement, don’t exceed the 100mg per day.
  • If your child suffers from severe headaches, a nasal spray for adult migraines, zolmitriptan is safe and effective for him or her.
  • In a review of over 55 studies on vitamin C over the last 65 years, vitamin C didn’t fight the common cold the way we all thought it did.
  • Sixty percent of doctors are using chemotherapy doses that are too low for their heavier breast cancer patients. In fact, many doctors when calculating dosage based on weight are hesitant to administer these higher dosages because they fear toxic side effects – so they might be under-medicating. This may be one reason why overweight women face a greater risk of breast cancer recurrence than their thinner counterparts.
  • The benefits of weight loss may be multiplied fourfold for people who suffer from osteoarthritis of the knee. A new study shows that for each pound of body weight lost, there is a 4-pound reduction in knee joint stress among overweight people with osteoarthritis of the knee. Researchers say the results indicate that just a few pounds lost may significantly lighten the load on joints.
  • Afraid of falling? Tai chi has received scientific attention for over a decade by many researchers including those at the National Institute of Aging. Tai chi exercise has been recognized as a low-intensity exercise that can be safely and easily performed by older adults to improve balance and prevent falls. Tai chi is particularly effective for people 65 and older because its gentle fluid movements improve strength and balance.

Article of the Week
Chinese Medicine Alternatives to Health and Happiness

When my Western eyes first read books on the subject of Chinese medicine, I liked the stories, but considered the practice to be more art than science. I grew up with Western medicine which is analytical and biochemical. In contrast, Chinese medicine was more energy-oriented and used nature as a guide to good health. For example, a high fever with a dry cough is clinically delineated as wind heat invasion on the body. The antidote is cooling herbs to restore the balance. And it is balance that stands at the heart of these “stories.”

What a refreshing alternative for our pharmaceutical society to consider more natural options without the toxic side effects of drugs! After all the bad PR Vioxx and Celebrex received along with recent research findings on the uselessness of cough medicines (better off drinking hot chocolate), etc., I began to appreciate nature’s vast pharmacy. The more I read, the more I realized how much Chinese medicine poetically emphasizes the harmful role of stress in upsetting the emotional and physical imbalance leading to a weakened immune system. Western medicine is just beginning to tap into stress as the root cause of many illnesses and as a major obstacle in disease management. Chinese medicine has been doing it for over 5,000 years.

Here’s the basic story outline: We are all made up of five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. The key to health, longevity, happiness, creativity and good relationships, etc. is quite simple – keeping all five elements in balance. Also, each one of us has a personality which corresponds predominantly to one of the five elements. Through knowledge of our dominant element we can reach a greater emotional and physical understanding of what we need to do to improve our health and well being. In other words, when we understand who we are and what we need, we can manage our stress levels. Chinese medicine asks us to take stock of ourselves. I think this is a brilliant and direct approach for taking care of the self from head to toe! More

Frank Mikulka's Fitness Tip Of The Week
The Proper Form for Upright Rows

Do you happen to know the exact biomechanical reason as to why upright rows, when taken above nipple level, cause shoulder impingement in terms of internal abduction, rotation, etc.? (Alex) 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