Debbie Mandel’s
Turn On Your Inner Light
Weekly Wellness Newsletter
December 26, 2004
www.TurnOnYourInnerLight.com


Affirmation of the Week
 If you love life,
life will love you back.
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 - Rick Vassallo

On December 28, 2004 - Rick Vassallo, body worker, psychotherapist and radio show host. Learn what to expect from different kinds of therapy sessions www.rickvassallo.com

Health Tips of the Week

  • Aleve joins the ranks of being linked to heart attack and stroke. This all goes to show us that high dosages of any drug can be risky and that all drugs carry side effects.
  • Put on your sneakers before indulging in the holiday meal. Just one long walk can protect your heart from fatty foods, making it easier to eat, drink, and be merry with minimal guilt.
  • There’s a new pill on the night time landscape – Lunesta. It is a new-generation sleep medication that isn't addictive and doesn't require larger doses during long-term use. So far, clinical trials show that Lunesta helps people get to sleep faster. However, best of all: Lunesta helps people sleep through the night.
  • Strattera, a medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), carries a new warning. Patients should stop taking Strattera at the first signs of jaundice -- yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes. Jaundice is a sign of liver damage. If blood tests show any evidence of liver damage, the drug should be discontinued even if no symptoms appear. The good news is that when you stop, the side effects go away.
  • When it comes to treating mild to moderate acne, new research suggests that over-the-counter preparations containing benzoyl peroxide usually work just as well as oral or topical antibiotics at a fraction of the price. Researchers say they hope the new findings will focus the spotlight on what they consider to be the overuse of antibiotics in the treatment of non-severe facial acne.

Article of the Week -
Resolve To Be a Better Caregiver for the New Year

I wondered if an article on Alzheimer’s would have mass appeal for my readers during the holidays, particularly before New Year’s Eve. As you can tell, I decided that it might tie in well. Since we are approaching the New Year with its traditional message of letting go, it is fitting to examine the care-giving relationship which necessitates that both the patient and caregiver – let go of the past and keep their expectations realistic.

My mother died a year ago after having lived with Alzheimer’s disease for eight years. It is in her honor that I write what she taught me about our mother-daughter relationship. When you take care of a parent, it is not like taking care of a child, even if the parent’s behavior seems childlike.

My experience taught me that when you enter an Alzheimer’s world, just play along. If that means adding a bit of fiction or incorporating some dramatic acting to your daily regimen, then feel free to do so in order to help preserve the patient’s dignity. When you undermine, contradict or challenge an Alzheimer’s delusion, you make the patient feel insecure and threatened. The greatest heartbreak is that you rob this person of his or her dignity.

People suffering from Alzheimer’s are highly emotional and can switch from laughter and affection to anger and sadness in a moment. We must remember that an Alzheimer’s patient is truly in the moment. Make the moment as loving as you can. More

Frank Mikulka's Fitness Tip Of The Week
Now that I have been lifting weights and using machines I feel great and after six months of consistent training, I’m enjoying the success. In a nutshell, what will I get out of training, so I can monitor my results? I want to be able to explain to someone exactly why I’m doing this. Help! (Stephanie, Baldwin) 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