Health Connection

“See me not my disease”

Seeing through the diagnosis of dementia

The stigma that comes with any diagnosis of dementia is one of the biggest challenges a person facing the diagnosis will have according to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. A recent poll by Alzheimer’s Disease International found that “40 per cent of people with dementia reported they had been avoided or treated differently after diagnosis.” Earlier this year The Alzheimer Society of Canada launched an awareness campaign on this problem. Called “See me not my disease, let’s talk about dementia” the project works to encourage family members and the public to see the person beyond the disease.

For those caring for a family member with dementia and for those experiencing it, every day can be a struggle to connect, leading to a sense of frustration, isolation, grief and sadness. Then comes the next stage – avoidance – “I don’t want to talk about it.” This approach only exacerbates an already difficult situation, leading to further isolation for everyone concerned.

However, new discoveries about communication are connecting those suffering from dementia with loved ones and care-workers in new ways. Communicating through music is one way we are discovering that it is possible to see through the “disease label” to the original and true beauty of an individual, and also to see that who they are is still there… Read more…

Why cynicism bad for our health

Gazing at a sea of red tulips, or driving under a canopy of glorious blossoms can be one of the most uplifting moments of a spring day, something to enjoy, and also to remember on cold winter days.Yet, for many of us, life is so burdened with tension and stress that we often do not notice these little things, or remember them.

A study out of Carleton University in Ottawa found that fully one-third of Canadians feel they are under stress. The reasons are many, such as sudden trauma, financial challenges, or unhappy family relationships.

Recently Carleton published an article on one of its websites. Titled Healthy Workplace, the site is dedicated to encouraging better health habits in employees at the university, based on solid research.

However, a less talked about sign of stress mentioned on the site, was cynicism.  It fell under the title, ”Spiritual Signs of Stress.” That nagging negative feeling of mistrust and doubt due to a build up of hurts and betrayals is bad for our health. Viewing life through mistrustful lenses, we are constantly on alert, and on the defensive – with our fight or flight reactor permanently switched on. This negative viewpoint drains us silently for years, without our noticing. But if we see cynicism as a health concern that harms us, maybe we will be more willing to address it, just as we might address our diet or lack of exercise for health reasons. There is no medical prescription to cure cynicism. What’s needed is a rethink about how we view the world and what memories we hold onto…. Read more…

Creative arts bring healing to people with dementia

……….. and perhaps much more.

The creative arts are perhaps the strongest means of communication — building bridges that transcend language or speech; causing us to think, inspiring us with beauty or touching our hearts with love. So it is not surprising to find that the creative arts can cross the divide of how we traditionally view those who suffer from various forms of dementia.

In 2012, health and museum experts came together at the Phillips Collection Gallery in Washington, D.C., with a project called Creative Aging. The project was developed to explore how art could build bridges to those suffering from Alzheimer’s. The results were startling. But even more remarkable, the project revealed the healing effect of art — to some degree mending mental processes that disease and/or years had diminished….. Read more…

Love – the vital ingredient for the family meal

Healthy for mind and body

Ah, family life – chaotic schedules, piles of dirty dishes, endless grocery trips and a “Parent taxi” sign pasted on the back of the family car! That seems to be the reality of family life for so many of us. “I can’t remember the last time we all managed to sit down together for a home-cooked meal,” sighed a close friend of mine one day over coffee.

Yet research tells us that family mealtimes can be very important for family health, both mental and  physical. It’s not just about the food we eat, but how we think about each other, what we talk about and how we learn to listen — vital ingredients for any meal… Read more…

And Mary pondered all these things…

 . . in her heart (Luke 2:19)

Christmas can be a difficult time for many families – old rivalries, hidden hurts, unresolved arguments and painful memories hide beneath the façade of merriment and tinsel, ready to break out at the slightest provocation. On the other hand, for some it is a time of loneliness, isolation or difficult memories. Many have grieving hearts at this time. Additionally we  often find ourselves compelled into racing around in the Christmas rush for the perfect present, to bake the best Christmas cookies, or make the ultimate table settings.

Whatever, the demands, taking time to ponder, as Mary did upon the birth of her first-born son, Jesus, could be the best Christmas present we give ourselves this year. We don’t often think of pondering, contemplating, thinking or meditating in conjunction with prayer, yet prayer in its purest form is meditation – that is, in the Christian sense. It has a health-giving element also, because it has the ability of bringing us into a calmer state of thought that has healing potential….. Read more…

Earthquakes and Disasters – Preparing your emergency kit

A couple of years ago when helping my son to move, I was surprised to see at least six bottles of balsamic vinegar in his kitchen cupboards, along with a large quantity of canned tomatoes, pinto beans and coconut milk.

@Glowimages

“Why so many?” I innocently asked. “Oh those are my emergency supplies in case of an earthquake,” he answered – looking at me with a perfectly straight face. I burst into laughter at the thought of my son living on such supplies in the event of a natural disaster. However, our conversation did lead me to think more deeply about how prepared I was to meet an earthquake, tsunami or hurricane.

Can we really prepare for the unexpected? Agencies that plan for such things suggest each household create an Emergency Preparedness Kit that includes items such as first aid supplies, flashlights, candles, blankets, non-perishable food, etc. My husband and I have thought it important enough to get a kit together. However, I believe that real preparedness begins before that with our attitudes…. Read more…

The Healing Value of Prayer

“The human mind is like a tree with many monkeys in it, swinging continuously from one tree to another.” This ancient Eastern proverb points to the problem we all know, where just at the point when we settle down to be quiet and to think, those monkeys begin to leap about in thought with gay abandon, throwing out all kinds of distracting issues – to do lists, fears and worries, future plans and so on.

So how do we quiet those monkeys in order to experience a holy environment within which to rest and think, and to feel whole again?

It helps for a start to consider the many aspects of the word, “holy.” Is it a thing or a place? Do we have to be in that place, or own that thing in order to feel holiness? Is it a feeling? Do we need others around to experience holiness? Read more…

The 10 healthiest thoughts on the planet

©Glow Images

Isn’t there more to our health than what we eat?

Every day we read articles regarding foods that experts say are proven healthy to eat. *One recent article in theTimes Colonist gives a top ten list, complete with photos. “These 10 superfoods are proven, expert-beloved disease fighters and energy boosters,” says fitnessmagazine.com. “Add them to your meals and get on the fast track to a super-healthy body”.

Whilst I am all for eating or drinking in a healthy way, the problem is that the lists keep changing. What is a superfood today may well make the “bad food” list tomorrow. I am the first to admit how confusing I find all this information about food. Wandering down the food aisles has never been so hard!…. Read more…

Anger Management

A healthy way to  deal with stress and anxiety.

“We are unable to fix the problem with this aircraft, so we will have to disembark you and find another aircraft to take you to your destination.” With this announcement the tension and anxiety palpably rose in the plane. We had already been delayed by three hours in Chicago on a sweltering 100-degree heat day, and it looked like it was going to be a longer wait yet. Despite the controlled air conditioning, there was no control about how people felt regarding this delay. They stumbled off the plane furious and frustrated. Read more…

Compassion can heal both giver and receiver

This article has been published in the Vancouver Sun. June 11 2012

The simple act of listening may be one of the most effective and least expensive medicines around. A friend of mine, a physician, told me of an experience when he was working in Ontario as a family practice doctor. After a long and difficult day, seeing countless numbers of very sick individuals, he was faced with a patient who was furious at being kept waiting. He recounted, “My first, instinctual response was to return the anger and tell him the day I was having… but I didn’t. Instead I listened, and the patient’s anger quickly changed as he recounted the list of terrible things that had recently happened in his life. My heart went out to him. I completely understood his anger and more importantly the fuel behind it … grief and fear. I listened and tried to be supportive where I could. Eventually he decided he didn’t really need his prescription refill after all, (he remembered he had refills at the pharmacy), and as we both got up to leave he stopped me at the door and told me he felt so much better than when he had come in! In fact, this was the best he had felt in weeks! I was stunned; what had transpired was truly amazing to me. No high-powered tests, and no potent prescription drugs and yet the patient felt much better. Sometimes the best “medicine” is simply becoming an empathetic, compassionate listener.” …..

Read more…