Wellness Newsletter, August, 2008

This free newsletter provides up-to-date research-based wellness and self-care information and tells you about books, e-books, web sites and events that can enhance well-being, promote health, and help develop self-care, teaching/learning and leadership skills.

Scroll down to what interests you…

1. Your wellness message

2. Wellness news:

a. Breast self-exams don’t prevent deaths

b. X-rays linked to prostate cancer

c. Protect children/grandchildren from obesity, heart disease and diabetes

d. Losing weight…more information on the best way to do it

e. You can lower fossil fuel use by 50% and it’s easy!

3. Wellness Books: from aging with grace to fearless
living

4. New! Wellness & Relationship Blog

5. Online “Living Well with Menopause” support
group

6. Self-care/wellness e-books

7. A new book for nurse educators

8. A new book for nursing leaders and managers

9. Archives of past Wellness Newsletters

10. Wellness Event: Free Mind-Body Medicine
Update

1. Wellness Message

Take time today to visit a place that’s special to you.
It could be a real place or a place in your imagination.
Make sure it’s someplace that gives you comfort and peace.

2. Wellness News:

a. Breast self-exams don’t prevent deaths

It is a staple of women's health advice and visits to the OB/GYN: the monthly breast self-exam to check for lumps or other changes that might signal breast cancer. A review of recent studies says there is no evidence that self-exams actually reduce breast cancer deaths.

Instead, the practice may be doing more harm than good, since it led to almost twice as many biopsies that turned up no cancer in women who performed the self-exams, compared to women who did not do the exams.

In the two large studies of 388,535 women in Russia and China included in the review, women who used self-breast exams had 3,406 biopsies, compared with 1,856 biopsies in the group that did not do the exams. At the same time, there was no significant difference in breast cancer deaths between the two groups.

For more information, click on: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080715204852.htm

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b. X-rays linked to prostate cancer

A new study showed that men who had a hip or pelvic X-ray or barium enema 10 years previously were two and a half times more likely to develop prostate cancer than the general population. And the link appeared to be stronger in men who had a family history of the disease.

The exposure to radiation was part of normal medical procedures which were performed 5, 10 or 20 years before diagnosis. Procedures included hip and leg X-rays, for example taken after an accident, and barium meals and enemas which are used to diagnose problems with the digestive system.

The results of the study have been published online in the British Journal of Cancer.

For more about the study, click on
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080715093737.htm

c. Protecting children from obesity, heart disease and diabetes

A new study found that children older than 11 aren’t getting the recommended level of 60 minutes or more of physical activity

What to do?

1. Make sure local school systems provide needed exercise by ensuring children receive periodic recess breaks and daily active physical education.
2. Ask local governments to provide safe biking and walking routes around schools.
3. Institute family walks with your children or grandchildren. Even 15 minutes a day can provide health benefits. On weekends go on family outings centered on longer walks or biking.
4. Obtain a copy of the We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children's Activity and
Nutrition), a science-based national education program from the National
Institutes of Health to help children ages 8-13 maintain a healthy
weight. We Can! provides tips, evidence-based curricula and other
resources for parents and community programs to help children and their
families make better food choices increase physical activity, and reduce
recreational screen time.
More information is available at http://wecan.nhlbi.nih.gov or toll-free
at 866-35-WE CAN (866-359-3226).

For more information on the study, go to
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080715161927.htm

d. Losing weight...What's the best way?

Low-carbohydrate and Mediterranean diets may be just as effective in achieving weight loss as the standard, medically prescribed low-fat diet, according to a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. It depends on the
purpose of losing weight, which one may be right.

Reduce cholesterol? The low-carbohydrate food regime may be best.

Decrease fasting glucose? The Mediterranean diet is probably best.

Reduce inflammation and improve liver function? Low-fat, low-carbohydrate and Mediterranean food plans will do the trick.

According to the researchers who compared these three methods, “The improvement in levels of some of these biomarkers continued until the 24-month point, although maximum weight loss was achieved by 6 months. This suggests that healthy diet has beneficial effects beyond weight loss."

For more about the study, go to:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080716171134.htm

e. Eating Less Meat and Junk Food Can Cut Fossil Fuel Use by 50%

Worried about global warming and dependence on foreign oil for fuel? There are many things you can do to reverse this.

A new study finds that a healthier diet and a return to traditional farming can help reduce energy consumption in US food system by 50 percent.

An estimated 19 percent of total energy used in the USA is taken up in the production and supply of food. Currently, this mostly comes from non-renewable energy sources which are in short supply. It is therefore of paramount importance that ways of reducing this significant fuel consumption in the US food system are found.

This is totally under control of you, the consumer!

What to do?

*Eat less. The average American consumes an estimated 3,747 calories a day, a staggering 1200-1500 calories over recommendations. Traditional American diets are high in animal products, and junk and processed foods in particular, which by their nature use more energy than that used to produce staple foods such as potatoes, rice, fruits and vegetables. By just reducing junk food intake and converting to diets lower in meat, you can have a massive impact on fuel consumption as well as improving your health.

*Move towards more traditional, organic farming methods by buying only organically produced foods. This would help because conventional meat and dairy production is extremely energy intensive. Similarly, in crop production, reduced pesticide use, increased use of manure, cover crops and crop rotations improve energy efficiency.

* The most dramatic reduction in energy used for food processing would come about if you reduced your demand for highly processed foods. This would also help cut down food miles and its related fuel cost as US food travels an average of 2,400 km before it is consumed.

This study argues strongly that the consumer is in the strongest position to contribute to a reduction in energy use. As individuals embrace a ‘greener’ lifestyle, an awareness of the influence their food choices have on energy resources might be added encouragement for them to buy good, local produce and avoid highly processed, heavily packaged and nutritionally inferior food. As well as leading to a cleaner environment, this would also lead to better health.

For more information, click on:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080723094838.htm

3. Wellness Books:

Aging Beyond Belief by Wellness Guru, Don Ardell, 2007.
Aging Beyond Belief includes 69 recommendations for a more healthful, enjoyable and meaningful existence at every stage of life. Order from http://www.wholeperson.com/x-selfhelp/aging.html#Anchor-Aging-47857 or Don's web site: http://www.seekwellness.com/wellness/index.htm

*Living Well with Anxiety: What Your Doctor Doesn't Tell You That You Need to Know. Contents include how to self-diagnose anxiety, wellness approaches (nutrition, herbs, environmental changes, exercise, other anxiety-reducing and healing measures), relationships, purpose and spirituality, creating your own anxiety plan and finding and working with the right practitioner. Ask your local book store to order LWW Anxiety if you don't find it on the shelf.

*Comfort and Joy: Simple Ways to Care for Ourselves and Others. Available from orders@redwheelweiser.com or oneline at www.conari.com

*Encyclopedia of Complementary Health Practice. Includes concepts and issues, economic and practice issues, education issues, legal/legislative/health policy issues, historical perspectives, conditions (from a-z), influential substances, practices and treatments, contributor directory, and resources directory. Click on www.springerpub.com and write Carolyn Chambers Clark in the search box.

*The Essential Laws of Fearless Living: Find the Power to Never Feel Powerless Again. How to break through illusions of limitation, have everything you want and become truly conscious. For more information go to www.conari.com

*The Food Intolerance Bible: A Nutritionist’s Plan to Beat Food Cravings, Fatigue, Mood Swings, Celiac Disease, Headaches, IBS, and Deal with Food Allergies. Orders
at orders@redwheelweiser.com or oneline at www.conari.com

*Garden Therapy Guidelines for Special Needs by Judith Gammonley, ARNPBC, EdD, LCP includes how to use garden therapy with those who are memory impaired, brain injured, or who struggle with developmental or physical challenges. Contact Dr. Gammonley at goodgam@aol.com or phone her at (727) 784-2449.

*Group Leadership Skills provides theory, concepts and practical applications for the new or seasoned group leader with task, work, social, therapeutic, focal or focus groups. Go to www.springerpub.com and write Carolyn Chambers Clark in the search box.

Health Promotion in Communities: Holistic and Wellness Approaches. Focuses on applying wellness and holistic concepts to community work and includes a model and self-assessment for health and wellness with changing and vulnerable populations, in rural settings, on the internet, with individuals and groups, families, African American women, Hispanic communities, diabetes programs, parish nursing, schools, and homeless centers and more. Click on www.springerpub.com and write Carolyn Chambers Clark in the search box at the top of the page

*Healthy Holistic Aging: A Blueprint for Success. Carl Helvie, RN, DrPH says you can live to be 100, and at age 74, he's a perfect example of the right things to do. He has no chronic illnesses and is among the 11% of the age 65-and-overs who take no prescribed medications. The book cites overwhelming scientific evidence that good diet, exercise, adequate sleep, prayer, meditation, positive relationship with others and a clean and safe environment can ensure successful aging. Visit Dr. Helvie's web site where you can also obtain the book as well as other helpful information at www.HealthyHolisticAging.com


*Her Inspiration, subtitled, Secrets to Help You Work Smart, Be Successful and Have Fun, this book is full of quotes and thoughts from hundreds of women to encourage, motivate, and support you as you make your way. Order from orders@redwheelweiser.com or online at www.conari.com

*Holistic Nursing Approach to Chronic Diseases. Provides a holistic approach to AIDS/HIV, Allergies/Asthma, Alzheimer's Disease, Arthritis, Cancer, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Depression, Diabetes, Digestive Problems, Fibromyalgia, Heart and Blood Vessel Disorders, Kidney Disease, Liver Disease, multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis, overweight/obesity, pain, Parkinson’s Disease, and/or sleep disorders. Click on www.springerpub.com and write Carolyn Chambers Clark in the search box at the top of the screen for information.

*Living Well with Menopause: What Your Doctor Doesn't Tell You That You Need To Know. This self-care manual includes: menopause: a natural process, medical treatment, nutrition, herbs, environmental actions, exercise, other stress reduction and healing measures, relationships, finding and working with the right practitioner, and putting it all together: your menopause success plan. Click on http://www.harpercollins.com and write Carolyn Chambers Clark in the search box at the top of the screen.

*Prayers for Healing. Edited by Maggie Oman, with an Introduction by the Dalai Lama and Foreword by Larry Dossey, this little book invites you into a wonderful healing space. Contributors include Wendell Berry, Jack Kornfield, Rainer Maria Rilke, Marian Wright Edelman, Martine Luther King, Jr., and Marianne Williamson, Kahlil Gibran, Goethe, and even traditional Native American truths. For inspiration, order from orders@redwheelweiser.com or online at www.conari.com

4. New! Wellness & Relationship Blog

Need your daily infusion of wellness? Go to my new Blog and find both cutting edge research, in easily-digestible bites, and practical tips for improving the quality of your life or someone else’s. To access, click on www.carolynchambersclark.com/id33.html

5. Online Menopause Support/Information Group

Anyone who could benefit from support and information during menopause can go to www.yahoogroups.com and write living well with menopause in the search box, scroll down to Living Well with Menopause and click on it. (You will have to sign up for a yahoo e-mail address to join but it’s free and allows group members to remain anonymous.) Anyone can also sign up on my web site at http://www.carolynchambersclark.com/id74.html

6. Wellness E-books

Available e-books include ADHD, acne, bladder spasms/bladder infections, couple communication, depression relief, great body, headaches, healing veggies, healing with affirmation & imagery, healthy hair, helping with homework, natural diuretics, pain free, parenting, peri-menopausal bleeding, permanent weight loss, pregnancy, helping children be successful in school, teaching math concepts, thyroid, and whole brain thinking. All are from a wellness, self-care perspective and make great gifts! Click on www.carolynchambersclark.com (Scroll down the home page to find them.)

7. New Book for Nurse Educators

*Classroom Skills for Nurse Educators provides ways to promote interactive learning even in large classes, while teaching asynchronously online and more…also introduces creative ways to use role playing, simulations, simulation games, group methods, peer learning, value clarification, perceptual exercises, journal writing and poetry. Presents indepth analysis and tips for overcoming the teaching/learning problems that can interfere with the learning process, and even shows how to develop your own learning materials (including simulations and games) in simple but effective ways. Sample chapters and more information at www.jbpub.com/catalog/9780763749750

8. Creative Nursing Leadership & Management

Provides relevant theory and ties it to practice by allowing learners to use critical thinking activities in a safe classroom environment. Perfect for upper-level undergraduate nursing leadership courses (and for more advanced leaders), the text focuses on creating leadership opportunities and creative solutions; using information technology; managing resources and change; delegation and succession: developing staff; creative political, legal, ethical, effective, and safe interventions to keep staff engaged. For sample chapters and more information click on www.jbpub.com/catalog/9780763749767

9. Archives of the Wellness Newsletter

To read recent past issue of the Wellness Newsletter, click on www.carolynchambersclark.com/id103.html

10. Wellness Events

New Free Mind-Body Medicine Update. Available for downloading at http://www.mindbodymedicineupdate.com

PLEASE tell your friends, family, clients or colleagues about this newsletter. Just have them go to www.carolynchambersclark.com click on my photo and sign up for their free subscription! If you like, copy this issue in its entirety and send it to them.
They can reply and put subscribe and their email address in the subject.

In Wellness,

Carolyn Chambers Clark
ARNP, EdD, FAAN, AHN-BC
Editor

Stay Well!

Wellness Newsletter, July, 2008

This free newsletter provides up-to-date research-based wellness and self-care information and tells you about books, e-books, web sites and events that can enhance well-being, promote health, and help develop self-care, teaching/learning and leadership skills.

Scroll down to what interests you…

1. Your wellness message

2. Wellness news:

a. Creating a wellness environment

b. Fructose raises cholesterol and uric acid

c. Which drugs increase risk of falling?

d. How to slow aging

e. Eating the right fish

f. Modify cardiovascular disease through diet

g. Best ways to lose weight

3. Wellness Books: from aging with grace to fearless living

4. New! Wellness & Relationship Blog

5. Online “Living Well with Menopause” support group

6. Self-care/wellness e-books

7. A new book for nurse educators

8. A new book for nursing leaders and managers

9. Archives of past Wellness Newsletters

10. Wellness Events: Free Mind-Body Medicine Update

1. Wellness Message

Touch gives comfort. A simple hug. A kiss on the cheek. A stroke on the arm. A handshake. A pat on the back. You connect through touch, and it is an instant source of comfort. How are you inviting touch into your life?

Colette Lafia, Comfort and Joy

2. Wellness News:

a. Creating a Wellness Environment

In the June 4 edition of Environmental Science and Technology, researchers at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia warn that pesticides may damage a rainbow trout's sense of smell, making it difficult to find mates and avoid predators. Because the trout are closely related to salmon, the findings suggest that pesticides may be a cause of plummeting salmon stocks in Canada and the US. Keith Tierney, a toxicologist at University of Windsor, Ontario, explained how steelhead rainbow trout exposed to low levels of agricultural pesticides lost the ability to perceive a predator's scent. "You can imagine if a fish is unable to detect just how close it is to a [wading] bear, it's a problem," Tierney told the New Scientist. Tierney's team measured the water quality in a river south of Vancouver and found "no fewer than 40 chemicals," most at trace concentrations. After trout were exposed to a weak mixture of the 10 most abundant pesticides -- including atrazine and diazinon -- for four days, they lost the ability to sense changes in the concentration of an amino acid called L-serine. The damage appeared permanent -- "the protein that detoxifies harmful chemicals appears overwhelmed by the pesticides."

The General Services Administration (GSA) has begun using organic fertilizer on the grounds of all its federal buildings in the National Capital Region covering parts of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, the District of Columbia, and stretches of Virginia and Maryland. GSA Regional Administrator Tony Reed explains that using sustainable practices was a way of "enriching our landscapes at the same time we are helping to clean up Chesapeake Bay." According to Beyond Pesticides, "chemical fertilizer, pesticides, animal manure, and poultry litter are major sources of excess nitrogen and phosphorus that cause water quality problems in the Chesapeake Bay." The pollutants feed massive algae blooms that rob the bay of dissolved oxygen, creating "dead zones" that kill fish and other aquatic life. "GSA's switch to all-organic fertilizer sets a good example of the kind of steps we all need to take to restore the health of the Chesapeake Bay," said EPA Regional Administrator Donald S. Welsh. GSA has also introduced an Integrated Pest Management program to replace the spraying of toxic insecticides in 30 million square feet in approximately 7,000 federal buildings. Meanwhile, more than four acres of the capital's National Mall now are receiving organic lawn care from the National Park Service.

What can you do?

If the national government can enhance the environment, so can your local government. Get active, send them this article and/or write editorials in your paper. The environment is yours. Take charge!

But it’s not only pesticides at governmental levels that need to be addressed. Schools, homes, rivers, lakes, and even the ocean can be hotbeds of run-off from pesticides, which can harm your neurological system and harm our source of healthy fish.

In one neighborhood in Chicago, where children have extremely high asthma rates, parents inspected local schools and discovered pesticides were being sprayed in the classrooms. Because pesticides can harm neurological systems, they may contribute to low test scores at some inner-city schools. If you’re using pesticides in your home, switch to boric acid and other safe alternatives and make sure your children and grandchildren aren’t being exposed to pesticides in schools or on beaches.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------b. High fructose intake may worsen levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, and uric acid as well as increase the risk for obesity and cardiovascular disease according to Medscape J Med. Published online July 9, 20008

Where is fructose found?

You’d be surprised! Read the label of everything you drink or eat. It could be in there. It’s in sodas, energy drinks, many cereals (even from the health food store!), many energy bars, and could be in that package of cookies or cake, for starters.

If you want something sweet, try the real thing, e.g., a banana, an apple, some strawberries. Just make sure they’re not in fructose-sweetened juice. Off the tree or the vine or bush is best. And yes, fructose is in there, too, but it’s the real thing, not a synthetic replicant.

The mystery is that real fruit reduces heart disease and just about every other chronic disease, while synthetic fructose may worsen them. Yes, Virginia, real is better…

source: www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/fruits.html

c. Which Drugs Increase Risk Of Falling?

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have created a list of prescription drugs that increase the risk of falling for patients aged 65 and older who take four or more medications on a regular basis.

"Falls are the leading cause of both fatal and non-fatal injuries for adults 65 and older, and research suggests that those taking four or more medications are at an even greater risk than those who don't -- perhaps two to three times greater," said Susan Blalock, Ph.D., an associate professor at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy.

The medications on the list cover a wide range of common prescription antidepressants, seizure medications, painkillers and more. The common denominator among them is that they all work to depress the central nervous system, which can make patients less alert and slower to react. Many over-the-counter medications can also contribute to falls.

"Some allergy medications, sleep aids and some cold and cough remedies can have the same effects as prescription drugs," Ferreri said. "Always let your doctor know what over-the-counter medications you are taking and be sure to read the labels. Anything that can cause drowsiness can put you at increased risk of falling."

If you see a drug you are taking on the list, talk to your health care practitioner about the risk of falling and possible alternative medications that have a less sedating effect.

To download a list of the prescription medications that increase the risk of falls for patients 65 and older, http://uncnews.unc.edu/images/stories/news/health/2008/drugslist.pdf

For details, click on http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080709122343.htm

Both the list of prescription drugs and some of the study's finding were published in the June issue of the American Journal of Geriatric Pharmacotherapy.

d. Slowing Aging Is Best Way To Fight Diseases In 21st Century
A group of aging experts from the United States and the United Kingdom suggest that the best strategy for preventing and fighting a multitude of diseases is to focus on slowing the biological processes of aging.

"The traditional medical approach of attacking individual diseases -- cancer, diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease -- will soon become less effective if we do not determine how all of these diseases either interact or share common mechanisms with aging," says S. Jay Olshansky, professor of epidemiology at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health and senior author of the commentary.

“Middle-aged and older people are most often impacted by simultaneous but independent medical conditions. A cure for any of the major fatal diseases would have only a marginal impact on life expectancy and the length of healthy life, “Olshansky said.

The authors suggest that a new paradigm of health promotion and disease prevention could produce unprecedented social, economic and health dividends for current and future generations if the aging population is provided with extended years of healthy living.

Existing interventions, such as exercise and good nutrition, may provide the tools for slow aging and lifelong well-being.

For more details, click on:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080708200624.htm

e. Eating Fish? Avoid Tilapia

Farm-raised tilapia, one of the most highly consumed fish in America, has very low levels of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids and, perhaps worse, very high levels of omega-6 fatty acids, according to new research from Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

The researchers say the combination could be a potentially dangerous food source for some patients with heart disease, arthritis, asthma and other allergic and auto-immune diseases that are particularly vulnerable to an "exaggerated inflammatory response." Inflammation is known to cause damage to blood vessels, the heart, lung and joint tissues, skin, and the digestive tract.

But, the article says, the recommendation by the medical community for people to eat more fish has resulted in consumption of increasing quantities of fish such as tilapia that may do more harm than good, because they contain high levels of omega-6 fatty acids, also called n-6 PUFAs, such as arachidonic acid.

For more information, click on: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080708092228.htm

f. Leading Worldwide Cause Of Cardiovascular Disease May Be Modified By Diet

New research indicates that an increased intake in minerals such as potassium, and possibly magnesium and calcium by dietary means may reduce the risk of high blood pressure and decrease blood pressure in people with hypertension. A high intake of these minerals in the diet may also reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.

Potassium, specifically, has been hypothesized as one reason for the low cardiovascular disease rates in vegetarians, as well as in populations consuming primitive diets (generous in potassium and low in sodium). In isolated societies consuming diets high in fruits and vegetables, hypertension affects only 1 percent of the population, whereas in industrialized countries which consume diets high in processed foods and large amounts of dietary sodium, 1 in 3 persons have hypertension. Americans consume double the sodium and about half of the potassium that is recommended by current guidelines.

Diets that emphasize fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products, including the landmark Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) trial, have been advocated by the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure, the American Heart Association, the European Society of Hypertension, the World Health Organization and the British Hypertension Society.

These findings are published in a supplement appearing with the July issue of The Journal of Clinical Hypertension.

For more information, click on:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080708104525.htm

g. Trying to lose weight?

Keeping a food diary can double weight loss according to a study from Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research. The findings, from one of the largest and longest running weight loss maintenance trials ever conducted, will be published in the August issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

In addition to keeping food diaries and turning them in at weekly support group meetings, participants were asked to follow a heart-healthy DASH (a Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet rich in fruits and vegetables and low-fat or non-fat dairy, attend weekly group sessions and exercise at moderate intensity levels for at least 30 minutes a day. After six months, the average weight loss among the nearly 1,700 participants was approximately 13 pounds. More than two-thirds of the participants (69 percent) lost at least nine pounds, enough to reduce their health risks and qualify for the second phase of the study, which lasted 30 months and tested strategies for maintaining the weight loss.

"More than two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese. If we all lost just nine pounds, like the majority of people in this study did, our nation would see vast decreases in hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease and stroke," said study co-author Victor Stevens, Ph.D., a Kaiser Permanente researcher. For example, in an earlier study Stevens found that losing as little as five pounds can reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure by 20 percent.

"Keeping a food diary doesn't have to be a formal thing. Just the act of scribbling down what you eat on a Post-It note, sending yourself e-mails tallying each meal, or sending yourself a text message will suffice. It's the process of reflecting on what you eat that helps us become aware of our habits, and hopefully change our behavior," says Keith Bachman, MD, a Weight Management Initiative member. "Every day I hear patients say they can't lose weight. This study shows that most people can lose weight if they have the right tools and support. And food journaling in conjunction with a weight management program or class is the ideal combination of tools and support."

For more details, click on:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080708080738.htm

Weight Watchers vs. Fitness Centers

A University of Missouri researcher examined the real-life experiences of participants to determine which program helps people lose pounds, reduce body fat and gain health benefits. The answer is that both have pros and cons and that a combination of the two produces the best results.

“Overweight, sedentary women joining a fitness center with the intent of weight loss or body fat change will likely fail without support and without altering their diets,” the researchers said. “Nearly 50 percent of people who start an exercise program will quit within six months.”

For details, click on:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080702101351.htm

3. Wellness Books:

Aging Beyond Belief by Wellness Guru, Don Ardell, 2007.

Aging Beyond Belief includes 69 recommendations for a more healthful, enjoyable and meaningful existence at every stage of life. Order from http://www.wholeperson.com/x-selfhelp/aging.html#Anchor-Aging-47857 or Don's web site: http://www.seekwellness.com/wellness/index.htm

*Living Well with Anxiety: What Your Doctor Doesn't Tell You That You Need to Know. Contents include how to self-diagnose anxiety, wellness approaches (nutrition, herbs, environmental changes, exercise, other anxiety-reducing and healing measures), relationships, purpose and spirituality, creating your own anxiety plan and finding and working with the right practitioner. Ask your local book store to order LWW Anxiety if you don't find it on the shelf.

*Comfort and Joy: Simple Ways to Care for Ourselves and Others. Available from orders@redwheelweiser.com or oneline at www.conari.com

*Encyclopedia of Complementary Health Practice. Includes concepts and issues, economic and practice issues, education issues, legal/legislative/health policy issues, historical perspectives, conditions (from a-z), influential substances, practices and treatments, contributor directory, and resources directory. Click on www.springerpub.com and write Carolyn Chambers Clark in the search box.

*The Essential Laws of Fearless Living: Find the Power to Never Feel Powerless Again.

How to break through illusions of limitation, have everything you want and become truly conscious. For more information go to www.conari.com

*The Food Intolerance Bible: A Nutritionist’s Plan to Beat Food Cravings, Fatigue, Mood Swings, Celiac Disease, Headaches, IBS, and Deal with Food Allergies. Orders
at orders@redwheelweiser.com or oneline at www.conari.com

*Garden Therapy Guidelines for Special Needs by Judith Gammonley, ARNPBC, EdD, LCP includes how to use garden therapy with those who are memory impaired, brain injured, or who struggle with developmental or physical challenges. Contact Dr. Gammonley at goodgam@aol.com or phone her at (727) 784-2449.

*Group Leadership Skills provides theory, concepts and practical applications for the new or seasoned group leader with task, work, social, therapeutic, focal or focus groups. Go to www.springerpub.com and write Carolyn Chambers Clark in the search box.

*Health Promotion in Communities: Holistic and Wellness Approaches. Focuses on applying wellness and holistic concepts to community work and includes a model and self-assessment for health and wellness with changing and vulnerable populations, in rural settings, on the internet, with individuals and groups, families, African American women, Hispanic communities, diabetes programs, parish nursing, schools, and homeless centers and more. Click on www.springerpub.com and write Carolyn Chambers Clark in the search box at the top of the page

*Healthy Holistic Aging: A Blueprint for Success. Carl Helvie, RN, DrPH says you can live to be 100, and at age 74, he's a perfect example of the right things to do. He has no chronic illnesses and is among the 11% of the age 65-and-overs who take no prescribed medications. The book cites overwhelming scientific evidence that good diet, exercise, adequate sleep, prayer, meditation, positive relationship with others and a clean and safe environment can ensure successful aging. Visit Dr. Helvie's web site where you can also obtain the book as well as other helpful information at www.HealthyHolisticAging.com

*Her Inspiration, subtitled, Secrets to Help You Work Smart, Be Successful and Have Fun, this book is full of quotes and thoughts from hundreds of women to encourage, motivate, and support you as you make your way. Order from orders@redwheelweiser.com or online at www.conari.com

*Holistic Nursing Approach to Chronic Diseases. Provides a holistic approach to AIDS/HIV, Allergies/Asthma, Alzheimer's Disease, Arthritis, Cancer, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Depression, Diabetes, Digestive Problems, Fibromyalgia, Heart and Blood Vessel Disorders, Kidney Disease, Liver Disease, multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis, overweight/obesity, pain, Parkinson’s Disease, and/or sleep disorders. Click on www.springerpub.com and write Carolyn Chambers Clark in the search box at the top of the screen for information.

*Living Well with Menopause: What Your Doctor Doesn't Tell You That You Need To Know. This self-care manual includes: menopause: a natural process, medical treatment, nutrition, herbs, environmental actions, exercise, other stress reduction and healing measures, relationships, finding and working with the right practitioner, and putting it all together: your menopause success plan. Click on http://www.harpercollins.com and write Carolyn Chambers Clark in the search box at the top of the screen.

*Prayers for Healing. Edited by Maggie Oman, with an Introduction by the Dalai Lama and Foreword by Larry Dossey, this little book invites you into a wonderful healing space. Contributors include Wendell Berry, Jack Kornfield, Rainer Maria Rilke, Marian Wright Edelman, Martine Luther King, Jr., and Marianne Williamson, Kahlil Gibran, Goethe, and even traditional Native American truths. For inspiration, order from orders@redwheelweiser.com or online at www.conari.com

4. New! Wellness & Relationship Blog

Need your daily infusion of wellness? Go to my new Blog and find both
cutting edge research, in easily-digestible bites, and practical tips for
improving the quality of your life or someone else’s.

Click on www.carolynchambersclark.com/id33.html

5. Online Menopause Support/Information Group

Anyone who could benefit from support and information during menopause can go to www.yahoogroups.com and write living well with menopause in the search box, scroll down to Living Well with Menopause and click on it. (You will have to sign up for a yahoo e-mail address to join but it’s free.

6. Wellness E-books

Available e-books include ADHD, acne, bladder spasms/bladder infections, couple communication, depression relief, great body, headaches, healing veggies, healing with affirmation & imagery, healthy hair, helping with homework, natural diuretics, pain free, parenting, peri-menopausal bleeding, permanent weight loss, pregnancy, helping children be successful in school, teaching math concepts, thyroid, and whole brain thinking. All are from a wellness, self-care perspective. Click on www.carolynchambersclark.com (Scroll down the home page to find them.)

7. New Book for Nurse Educators

*Classroom Skills for Nurse Educators provides ways to promote interactive learning even in large classes, while teaching asynchronously online and more…also introduces creative ways to use role playing, simulations, simulation games, group methods, peer learning, value clarification, perceptual exercises, journal writing and poetry. Presents indepth analysis and tips for overcoming the teaching/learning problems that can interfere with the learning process, and even shows how to develop your own learning materials (including simulations and games) in simple but effective ways. Sample chapters and more information at www.jbpub.com/catalog/9780763749750

8. Creative Nursing Leadership & Management

Provides relevant theory and ties it to practice by allowing learners to use critical thinking activities in a safe classroom environment. Perfect for upper-level undergraduate nursing leadership courses (and for more advanced leaders), the text focuses on creating leadership opportunities and creative solutions; using information technology; managing resources and change; delegation and succession: developing staff; creative political, legal, ethical, effective, and safe interventions to keep staff engaged. For sample chapters and more information click on www.jbpub.com/catalog/9780763749767

9. Archives of the Wellness Newsletter
To read recent past issue of the Wellness Newsletter, click on www.carolynchambersclark.com/id103.html

10. Wellness Events

New Free Mind-Body Medicine Update. Available for downloading at http://www.mindbodymedicineupdate.com

PLEASE tell your friends, family, clients or colleagues who might benefit about this newsletter. Just have them go to www.carolynchambersclark.com, click on my photo and sign up for their free subscription! If you like, copy this issue in its entirety and send it to them. They can subscribe by replying and placing Subscribe and their e-mail address in the Subject box.

In Wellness,

Carolyn Chambers Clark ARNP, EdD, FAAN, AHN-BC
Editor

Stay Well!