REGRESAR AL BIENESTAR (RETURN TO WELLNESS) IN DOWNTOWN L.A.

An Experience with Real Warriors

(Photos: L=Aerin Alexander, R=Regresar Group)

 

In 2013, CSC provided a program for Spanish-speaking women with breast cancer and their families in downtown L.A. at Mercado La Paloma.  CSC took its program of support, healthy lifestyle programs and education to this underserved population.  Thank you to Dignity Health for providing a grant for this program.

The following is a blog post from one of the instructors, Aerin Alexander. Aerin and Dr. Miles Reid run the Being Energy program and Aerin kindly donated her time to Regresar Al Bienestar to teach a class.  To learn more about Being Energy visit  http://beingenergy.com/

 

I was honored to be part of a remarkable event in support of women with breast cancer. It was the first of four monthly events in downtown Los Angeles organized by Cancer Support Community Benjamin Center specifically to offer friendship and support for Spanish-speaking women and their families. It was powerful. I am certain the remaining three events will be just as remarkable (the dates will be October 12, November 9 and December 14, 2013; for details, see http://www.cancersupportcommunitybenjamincenter.org).

It was a joy to participate on Saturday, and to speak my mother tongue (Spanish) and work with the local Los Angeles community. I’ve been invited to return to again present the work we do with Being Energy—the energy enhancing mind-body practices and educational information that are an integral part of our programs. I so look forward to returning to offer our work to these wonderful Latina women and their families.

As I entered the Mercado La Paloma (in downtown LA), I was greeted by a cheerful, colorfully decorated indoor market. Inside, a multitude of Mexican stores sell everything from tailoring services to food and clothing. It was 10 a.m. and the enticing aroma of tortillas and chocolate caliente filled the air. Many people were enjoying breakfast. I felt at home.

The Cancer Support Community meeting took place in a large room. I was the first presenter and I was a bit anxious. Around 40 people were just concluding their first group support session and were looking forward to getting out of their chairs and moving their bodies.

I started by explaining that Being Energy is a system of movements that help us to regain our vitality and energy. One of the well-received highlights of the presentation was when I spoke about our “spirit”—our intangible part—that is not touched by the cancer. I also talked about the ways that we can revitalize ourselves from the inside out so that the experience can be met as a challenge and not as a curse.

I talked about finding a new description for our bodies and minds, and about moving and positive thinking! We practiced the Gathering Energy form and counted the number of repetitions to help focus our minds on the present moment and connect mind and body with the purpose of joyful movement. In spite of the heat and through the sweat, everyone counted and enjoyed the moment, applauding vigorously at the end.

All participants received a printed copy of the PowerPoint portion of the presentation, and a copy of “Guided Visualizations of the Heart” that are part of Being Energy’s daily practices.

Quietly, connected to our hearts with hands held to our chests and eyes closed, we felt the heart beating and visualized the heart as a center for processing information—the heart as a brain connecting with our loved ones in a sincere and caring way.

“I can give all the love I have,” said one person.
“We felt both very connected and empowered,” said another.

One participant said, “I am usually very negative with my thoughts and attitude, I fear death. This exercise helped me to connect to life and to the love I have for my children. That keeps me alive.”

This is but a sampling of the experiences in the room. At the end, no longer strangers, we exchanged hugs. I was able to see once more the power of connecting from the heart and offering our best, and how it affects people in such beneficial ways.

Two years ago, my mother died of cancer and last Saturday in downtown LA I was somehow honoring her as well.

Hooray to all these brave warriors, and to all of us who are going through challenging times, finding as we face our challenges our true strength and spirit.

And for all of you Being Energy teachers and our community of practitioners, this is your call to jump up and share what you know. Your light will shine through to help others in ways that you can’t anticipate.

Much love to all,

Aerin

Yoga's Impact on Inflammation, Mood, and Fatigue in Breast Cancer Survivors: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Check out this study re: yoga and it's benefits for cancer patients.  Cancer Support Community has many yoga classes per week, free of charge for those affected by cancer. 

Authors

Kiecolt-Glaser JK, et al. Show all

Kiecolt-Glaser JK, Bennett JM, Andridge R, Peng J, Shapiro CL, Malarkey WB, Emery CF, Layman R, Mrozek EE, Glaser R.

Journal

J Clin Oncol. 2014 Apr 1;32(10):1040-9. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2013.51.8860. Epub 2014 Jan 27.

Affiliation

Abstract

PURPOSE: To evaluate yoga's impact on inflammation, mood, and fatigue.

   

PATIENTS AND METHODS: A randomized controlled 3-month trial was conducted with two post-treatment assessments of 200 breast cancer survivors assigned to either 12 weeks of 90-minute twice per week hatha yoga classes or a wait-list control. The main outcome measures were lipopolysaccharide-stimulated production of proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and scores on the Multidimensional Fatigue Symptom Inventory-Short Form (MFSI-SF), the vitality scale from the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short Form (SF-36), and the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale.

   

RESULTS: Immediately post-treatment, fatigue was not lower (P > .05) but vitality was higher (P = .01) in the yoga group compared with the control group. At 3 months post-treatment, fatigue was lower in the yoga group (P = .002), vitality was higher (P = .01), and IL-6 (P = .027), TNF-α (P = .027), and IL-1β (P = .037) were lower for yoga participants compared with the control group. Groups did not differ on depression at either time (P > .2). Planned secondary analyses showed that the frequency of yoga practice had stronger associations with fatigue at both post-treatment visits (P = .019; P < .001), as well as vitality (P = .016; P = .0045), but not depression (P > .05) than simple group assignment; more frequent practice produced larger changes. At 3 months post-treatment, increasing yoga practice also led to a decrease in IL-6 (P = .01) and IL-1β (P = .03) production but not in TNF-α production (P > .05).

   

CONCLUSION: Chronic inflammation may fuel declines in physical function leading to frailty and disability. If yoga dampens or limits both fatigue and inflammation, then regular practice could have substantial health benefits.

 

 

To see article in source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/24470004/

 

THE VALERIE HARPER CANCER CONFUSION EXPLAINED

(Rodrigo Vaz/FilmMagic)
 By Raechal Leone Shewfelt 21 hours ago Yahoo Celebrity

Fans of "Rhoda" and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" rejoiced Wednesday when Valerie Harper announced that she was "cancer-free" in Closer magazine.

Unfortunately, the excitement was short-lived. Harper, 74, soon after released a statement clarifying her comments as to how she's really doing since being diagnosed with cancer early last year.

"In response to a recent erroneous quote concerning my health, I am not 'absolutely cancer-free,'" Harper said. “I wish I were. Right now what I am is cautiously optimistic about my present condition and I have hope for the future."

The actress further described her condition during a new interview with Howard Stern on Wednesday to promote her guest arc on the Hallmark series, "Signed, Sealed, Delivered," which premieres this Saturday.

"In a nutshell, each eight weeks I have a brain scan — a non-invasive MRI — and consistently, in a straight line, it's gotten better and better," she told Stern. "Less cancer."Harper continues to take what she called a "pulse dose" of medication once a week (rather than every day).

Otherwise, she told Stern, she feels no physical symptoms.

Although Harper stopped short of saying she was free of the disease, the considerable improvement in her health has caused some confusion. How can a woman told she has three months to live by a doctor suddenly appear to be all better?

Malcolm Schultz, a psychotherapist with the L.A.-based Cancer Support Community-Benjamin Center, told Yahoo the cancer patients he's worked with in support groups over the past 31 years know that it’s not so simple in any case of the disease.

"Doctors are using the 'cure' word and the 'remission' word much less and are using the words 'no evidence of disease' much more, that seems to be the trend,” Schultz noted. "They're not necessarily saying that there's no disease there. It’s just that they can’t see it or test for it at this point.”

Harper explained her situation in much the same way on Stern's Sirius XM radio show: "They say it's terminal and this is incurable, because they don't have proof that it's curable."The former "Valerie" star, who had lung cancer in 2009, revealed in March 2013 that she had been diagnosed in January with a rare cancer, leptomeningeal carcinomatosis. The sad news followed an incident while Harper was rehearsing and thought she was having a stroke, because she couldn't remember her lines and she had numbness in her jaw and dizziness.

When Stern asked Harper whether she had brain cancer (as was widely reported), she quickly said no. "Imagine two pieces of saran wrap with spinal fluid in between," Harper said. "That's around the brain and up and down the spine and around the genitals to protect… [so] bacteria and infection don't get in there..."

Harper added that she only went public with her diagnosis because there were false reports going around.

The actress credited "great care and wonderfully researched new medicine" with keeping her alive.

Though she admitted her diagnosis was a tough period in her life, she said that now cancer does not keep her from working at all.

"In the beginning I cried a lot, I was mourning," Harper revealed. The news also prompted her to finalize her will and to feel more grateful.

One year later, her philosophy is simple: "Don't go to a funeral before the day of the funeral. We're all terminal.”

To view story in original site go to:

https://celebrity.yahoo.com/blogs/celeb-news/the-valerie-harper-cancer-confusion-explained-005541317.html

 

Maintaining My Dignity

  I've never really cared about maintaining my dignity before I was diagnosed with Stage II A Breast Cancer in 2010, but now after all of the changes my body's gone through, I find myself worrying about it. At the beginning of March 2014 I went through my breast reconstruction surgery, which brought about more changes in my attempt to look "normal" again.
   "How will I fool everyone today?," I asked myself as I tried on clothes that I hoped would disguise the bandage, drain and medical bra I was instructed to wear until my follow-up appointment a week after my surgery, knowing I'd need a large enough shirt to cover everything, but mindful of the 80 degree temperature outside and my personal comfort. After a lot of deliberation, I chose a navy-blue sailor top, which I planned to layer over a grey t-shirt, and a pair of denim cut-off shorts. As I went through my day, I found that despite the soreness and pain I was still experiencing, I felt and looked cool, calm and collected. Through the magic of clothes and makeup, or oversized sunglasses and red lipstick, I've discovered that it's possible to throw caution to the wind and put on whatever I want even though I see scars and war wounds where there was once smooth skin. When I do I find my dignity replaced with a lack of inhibition that allows me not to care. At those times I can dance around in my underwear and fedora like Ann Reinking in "All That Jazz". I'm my old self again and my scars don't matter or exist any longer.
   Pre-diagnosis, I always worried about what other people thought of me, but now I don't care, since I've been through the worst. It's no loss if I lose a friend or support system because I've already lost so much with cancer that to lose in the traditional sense doesn't matter any more. I can always begin again. When one door closes another one opens and in places I rarely expect. After I had my first chemo treatment, I got so sick I had to be placed in the Neupogen ward of the hospital, totally withdraw from school, quit my job and stay out of public places once I was released. At first I felt very lonely and isolated until one of my nurses told me about a website for writers, www.hubpages.com. I started writing for them about three years ago, and in addition to allowing me a chance to connect with others via the internet, I also learned how to blog and started my own blog, www.keepinupwithvicqui.bravejournal.com.
   While dealing with my reconstruction, I've also continued my job search, which hasn't proved any less frustrating, than when I started it after leaving the work force in 2010. I wish I could say I enjoy sending out resumes, making cold calls, filling out applications and going on interviews, but I can't. In this case I have to fight to maintain my dignity and relevance as a viable citizen who still has something valuable to contribute to society. Part of my frustration comes from my lack of direction and focus, so I'm torn in a lot of ways. Dealing with cancer, and my other health issues, don't help either.
   To combat this, when I do go out, I select clothes that will allow me to look as dignified as I try to feel, even if they come off of the sale rack at "Ross" or "Goodwill Thrift Store". In January I had to move unexpectedly so I was forced to scale down my wardrobe, and take only what I thought I'd be able to store in my new place, and put the rest in storage. That meant planning how I wanted to dress and using my imagination in new ways. So far, I've been able to coordinate outfits that project my image as a L.A.-based fashion/feature writer, satisfy my taste level, and inspire me to remain positive as I face all of my current challenges.
   In my previous pre-cancer work life, my style wasn't as important or consistent, as it is now and I sometimes tried to tone it down, conform and not make waves by being different, but now that I've learned that being true to myself has given me strength no matter what, it's become a significant part of me. That's not to say that the question of dignity won't remain a struggle throughout my life, but as I move into the future, I hope to always find a way to have it.

YOU MIGHT PAY A LOT MORE THAN $95 FOR SKIPPING HEALTH INSURANCE

2014 is the first year most Americans will have to either have health insurance or face a tax penalty.

But most people who are aware of the penalty think it's pretty small, at least for this first year. And that could turn into an expensive mistake.

 "I'd say the vast majority of people I've dealt with really believe that the penalty is only $95, if they know about it at all," says Brian Haile, senior vice president for health policy at Jackson Hewitt Tax Service. "And when people find out, they're stunned. It's much, much higher than they would expect."

In fact, "the penalty is the maximum of either $95 or 1 percent of taxable income in 2014," according to Linda Blumberg, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute's Health Policy Center. "For people with higher incomes, it can be much more sizable than $95."

Blumberg says that even for people with more moderate incomes, it's important to remember that the flat-fee penalty will be assessed for every family member who lacks health coverage.

"So if it's a two-adult household and both are uninsured, it's twice $95 — $190," he says. "Then if there are any children in the family that are uninsured, the penalty for each of them is half of the $95."

The flat-fee penalty maxes out at $285 next year. To help people figure out what they might owe, the Tax Policy Center, jointly run by the Urban Institute and the Brookings Institution, just posted an online calculator. And Jackson Hewitt has its own "How much is my tax penalty?" worksheet.

Haile says it's important to remember that even if most of the family has insurance, having just one uninsured member can trigger the penalty.

"If you've got someone who comes home to live, it could cost you much more than a spare bedroom," he says. "If you claim that child as a dependent, or could claim that child as a dependent, then you suddenly become liable for penalties if that child lacks minimum essential coverage."

The 1 percent penalty, for those hit with that, also has a cap, but the penalty can still get pretty big. The cap is tied to the cost of the national average bronze-level insurance plan. This year's top penalty could be about $3,600 for an individual, and $11,000 for a family of four.

As Deadline Nears, State Insurance Exchanges Still A Mixed Bag

 If you're uninsured and earn enough to be potentially liable for penalties, you have to sign up for coverage by the end of this month in order to avoid them.

"Your only chance to buy insurance, unless you have a special qualifying event, is during this open enrollment period," Haile says, "which makes March 31 an incredibly important date for avoiding the penalty. If you want to avoid the penalty, you need to get in and sign up for coverage now."

That's much different from how things were before the law's implementation. But the Urban Institute's Blumberg says it's because of the new rule that protects people with pre-existing health conditions.

"Now the insurance companies can't say no, even if you've had serious health problems in the past, or have a serious health problem today. They can't deny you," she says. "And because of that, people are restricted to obtaining coverage during the open enrollment period or during some other open enrollment period where they've had a change in their family status or income."

Indeed, changes to family status — a birth, divorce or job change — will allow you to buy or change your coverage outside the open enrollment period. And if you're eligible for Medicaid or your kids are eligible for the Children's Health Insurance Program, you can sign up anytime.

There are also lots of exemptions from the penalty itself, Blumberg points out, even for people who remain uninsured. The biggest is for having income below the tax filing threshold.

This year that's roughly $10,000 for a single person and $13,000 for a head of household. If you don't have to file income taxes, you won't have to pay a penalty. You also can get an exemption if the cheapest available insurance would cost more than 8 percent of your income, if you have unpaid medical debt, or for any of several other reasons listed on the HealthCare.gov website.

But for most people with incomes above the poverty line, time is running out to either get insurance or prepare to pay up instead.

To see article in original source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/03/12/288712831/you-might-pay-a-lot-more-than-95-for-skipping-health-insurance

YOUR ALLY AGAINST OSTEOPOROSIS: UCLA HEALTH NEWSLETTER

Check out this UCLA Health Newsletter article about the benefits of OSTEOBALL®.

http://www.bonefitness.com/consumer/press/ucla_healthyyears.html

CSC will be offering a unique exercise program using the OSTEOBALL® 
 
Beginning with an introductory talk on Wednesday, March 19, 2014 at noon, and the opportunity to sign up for 6 subsequent, weekly classes, Terese Miller, ACE, ACSM, IDEA, Audrey Chernofsky, BS, PT, and Karen Hunt, BS, DT of The Swezey Institute will provide you with knowledge about how to "Get Back to Activity the Gentle Way."  Call 310-314-2555 for more info.

Terese Miller is a Gold Certified group exercise leader, Audrey Chernofsky is a licensed physical therapist who specializes in Post Rehab Exercise and Breast Cancer Rehab and Karen Hunt is an Osteoporosis and Bone Fitness Educator at The Swezey Institute and an expert in the field of bone densitometry technology.

UCLA STUDY ON FRIENDSHIP AMONG WOMEN

 

 

March 8 is International Women's Day!

 

CSC has a free-of-charge program for those affected by cancer of support, counseling, education, mind-body classes and social activities.  Photo is by Krista Kennell and is of CSC Celebration Circle led by Carol Kurland & Abby Brown.  Check calendar for dates and times. http://bit.ly/CSCSocial

 

 

 

 

 

Melissa Kaplan's
Chronic Neuroimmune Diseases
Information on CFS, FM, MCS, Lyme Disease, Thyroid, and more... Last updated January 1, 2014         

An alternative to fight or flight

©2002 Gale Berkowitz

A landmark UCLA study suggests friendships between women are special. They shape who we are and who we are yet to be. They soothe our tumultuous inner world, fill the emotional gaps in our marriage, and help us remember who we really are. By the way, they may do even more.       Scientists now suspect that hanging out with our friends can actually counteract the kind of stomach-quivering stress most of us experience on a daily basis. A landmark UCLA study suggests that women respond to stress with a cascade of brain chemicals that cause us to make and maintain friendships with other women. It's a stunning find that has turned five decades of stress research---most of it on men---upside down. Until this study was published, scientists generally believed that when people experience stress, they trigger a hormonal cascade that revs the body to either stand and fight or flee as fast as possible, explains Laura Cousin Klein, Ph.D., now an Assistant Professor of Biobehavioral Health at Penn State University and one of the study's authors. It's an ancient survival mechanism left over from the time we were chased across the planet by saber-toothed tigers. Now the researchers suspect that women have a larger behavioral repertoire than just fight or flight; In fact, says Dr. Klein, it seems that when the hormone oxytocin is release as part of the stress responses in a woman, it buffers the fight or flight response and encourages her to tend children and gather with other women instead. When she actually engages in this tending or befriending, studies suggest that more oxytocin is released, which further counters stress and produces a calming effect. This calming response does not occur in men, says Dr. Klein, because testosterone---which men produce in high levels when they're under stress---seems to reduce the effects of oxytocin. Estrogen, she adds, seems to enhance it. The discovery that women respond to stress differently than men was made in a classic "aha" moment shared by two women scientists who were talking one day in a lab at UCLA. There was this joke that when the women who worked in the lab were stressed, they came in, cleaned the lab, had coffee, and bonded, says Dr. Klein. When the men were stressed, they holed up somewhere on their own. I commented one day to fellow researcher Shelley Taylor that nearly 90% of the stress research is on males. I showed her the data from my lab, and the two of us knew instantly that we were onto something. The women cleared their schedules and started meeting with one scientist after another from various research specialties. Very quickly, Drs. Klein and Taylor discovered that by not including women in stress research, scientists had made a huge mistake: The fact that women respond to stress differently than men has significant implications for our health. It may take some time for new studies to reveal all the ways that oxytocin encourages us to care for children and hang out with other women, but the "tend and befriend" notion developed by Drs. Klein and Taylor may explain why women consistently outlive men. Study after study has found that social ties reduce our risk of disease by lowering blood pressure, heart rate, and cholesterol. There's no doubt, says Dr. Klein, that friends are helping us live longer. In one study, for example, researchers found that people who had no friends increased their risk of death over a 6-month period. In another study, those who had the most friends over a 9-year period cut their risk of death by more than 60%. Friends are also helping us live better. The famed Nurses' Health Study from Harvard Medical School found that the more friends women had, the less likely they were to develop physical impairments as they aged, and the more likely they were to be leading a joyful life. In fact, the results were so significant, the researchers concluded, that not having close friends or confidants was as detrimental to your health as smoking or carrying extra weight. And that's not all. When the researchers looked at how well the women functioned after the death of their spouse, they found that even in the face of this biggest stressor of all, those women who had a close friend and confidante were more likely to survive the experience without any new physical impairments or permanent loss of vitality. Those without friends were not always so fortunate. Yet if friends counter the stress that seems to swallow up so much of our life these days, if they keep us healthy and even add years to our life, why is it so hard to find time to be with them? That's a question that also troubles researcher Ruthellen Josselson, Ph.D., co-author of Best Friends: The Pleasures and Perils of Girls' and Women's Friendships (Three Rivers Press, 1998). The following paragraph is, in my opinion, very, very true and something all women should be aware of and NOT put our female friends on the back burners. Every time we get overly busy with work and family, the first thing we do is let go of friendships with other women, explains Dr. Josselson. We push the m right to the back burner. That's really a mistake because women are such a source of strength to each other. We nurture one another. And we need to have unpressured space in which we can do the special kind of talk that women do when they're with other women. It's a very healing experience.   Taylor, S. E., Klein, L.C., Lewis, B. P., Gruenewald, T. L., Gurung, R. A. R., & Updegraff, J. A. Behaviorial Responses to Stress: Tend and Befriend, Not Fight or Flight" Psychol Rev, 107(3):41-429. (Full text of article in PDF format) Geary DC, Flinn MV. Sex differences in behavioral and hormonal response to social threat: commentary on Taylor et al. Psychol Rev 2002 Oct;109(4):745-50; discussion 751-3 Cousino Klein L, Corwin EJ. Seeing the unexpected: how sex differences in stress responses may provide a new perspective on the manifestation of psychiatric disorders. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2002 Dec;4(6):441-8. A Note from Melissa Kaplan: I have been unable to locate Gail Berkowitz, the author of this above article, so please don't write me to ask me how to contact her - you can Google or Yahoo her as well as I can. I also have no information on the studies referred to in the article; to find information on them, you can get reprints of the above referenced journal articles (Taylor, et al., Geary and Finn, Cousino Klein and Corwin) and ask the authors any questions you may have regarding study participants, methodology, etc. In the case of Taylor, et al., , read the abstract online and download the full text PDF of the journal article). To view article in original, visit http://www.anapsid.org/cnd/gender/tendfend.html