Debbie Mandel’s
Turn On Your Inner Light
Weekly Wellness Newsletter
December 19, 2004
www.TurnOnYourInnerLight.com


Affirmation of the Week
 It is not wise
to build your scaffolding
on shifting sands.
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 - Sherri Caldwell

On December 21, 2004 - Sherri Caldwell, author of The Rebel Housewife Rules. She will help us deal with domesticity- watch out!

Health Tips of the Week

  • New research says that women who get breast implants are more likely than other women to commit suicide. It has been suggested that a psychiatric condition known as body dysmorphic disorder may clarify the reason for the elevated suicide risk among those who get breast implants. Perhaps they were unhappy to begin with and that’s why they wanted breast implants. Cosmetic surgery doesn’t treat the root cause of depression.
  • They call the phenomenon the "Merry Christmas Coronary" and the “Happy New Year Heart Attack." The holiday season may be hazardous to your health, especially your heart. New research shows that death rates peak during Christmas and New Year's. Although too much eggnog, stress, cold weather and celebrating during the holidays may play a role in increasing the risk of heart attack and other causes of death, people may also delay seeking medical care during the holidays, which could prove to be a deadly mistake.
  • The typical worker's desk has hundreds of times more bacteria per square inch than an office toilet seat. If that's not disturbing enough, desks, phones and other private surfaces are also prime habitats for the viruses that cause colds and flu. Wash your hands a lot!
  • Nearsightedness progresses more slowly in children who wear hard contact lenses compared with those who wear soft contact lenses. The problem, known as myopia, usually starts between ages 8-16 years. However, when you switch from hard contact lenses to soft, the benefits usually don’t last and nearsightedness increases. It did for me!
  • Researchers say they have discovered a new clue as to how alcohol may speed up cancer progression. Alcohol consumption has been linked to cancer, particularly of the esophagus, stomach, liver, and even the breast. Doctors say that the more alcohol you drink, the higher your risk, but the exact role alcohol plays in cancer progression has remained a mystery until now. Apparently alcohol fuels the production of a growth factor that helps create new blood vessels inside a tumor and these new blood vessels help feed tumor cells.

Article of the Week -
Pain Relief Without Bad Side Effects

No more Vioxx, Bextra, or Celebrex – too many dangerous side effects. Ibuprofin or aspirin - you better have a strong stomach as there are many cases of gastro-intestinal bleeding associated with aspirin and ibuprofen. Suddenly, feel good chemistry in the form of pain killers can be dangerous to your health! Many of us are stressed by the mere thought of living without pain killers and many of us have become addicted. We have to make it a top priority to find some healthy alternatives.

John Milton said, “The mind can make a heaven out of hell or a hell out of heaven.” Milton was prophetic. Currently, we know that the brain processes our pain. It is worthy to note that pain and depression are processed in the same part of the brain. Researchers are not sure if pain heralds depression, or if depression triggers or intensifies pain. Tapping into this discovery can help us to manage our pain without side effects that could prove to be lethal.

We need to connect the mind with the body, tap into our senses, with mind/body medicine. The days of doctor knows best is over! We need to partner our healing with the doctor. Whatever pain we are experiencing, the fact that we are above ground and breathing means that there is more right with us than wrong with us. Let us focus on what is right with us. When we do not identify ourselves with our pain, we can heal. And if there are some illnesses or symptoms that are incurable, we must make peace with them and learn to live together and get along. Our emphasis in health should above all be prevention. As we get older, we need to set up for a healthy future which means disease prevention, for it is so much easier to prevent, than to cure.

Instead of taking harmful drugs for your aches and pain, here are some suggestions: More

Frank Mikulka's Fitness Tip Of The Week
I’m really enjoying my training program and am now training 6 days a week. However, lately I feel that it is becoming routine and honestly I’m losing my motivation. Any tips to recharge? (Terry, Astoria) 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