Debbie Mandel's
Turn On Your Inner Light
Weekly Wellness Newsletter
February 20, 2006
www.TurnOnYourInnerLight.com


The Perfect Gift for Caregivers who are stressed and
need advice on
Affirmation of the Week
 To paraphrase Socrates:
Beware of the emptiness
of a busy life.
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.
Guest of the Week - Stacy DeBroff

On Feb 21, 2006 - Our guest expert is Stacy DeBroff, best-selling author of The Mom Book. You’ve frequently seen her on the Today Show, and can listen to her now about her latest self-help, The Mom Book Goes to School. Get the Insider tips to help your child thrive at school.

Click to play this interview. Click archives for directory of past shows.

Health Tips of the Week

  • According to Ohio State University exercise boosts healing of skin wounds on older adults. This demonstrates that exercise improves the immune response.
  • The National Cancer Institute is studying how to shorten radiation treatment and improve quality of life after breast cancer. Canadian researchers at the University of Toronto have already done just that. They used a slow-release radiation treatment which implants radioactive seeds in the breast after lumpectomy. The patient goes home right after the procedure and lives a normal life.
  • A 14-year study involving more than 42,000 nurses found that women with a large waistline may be more likely to eventually need surgery to remove gallstones. As people age, their waists tend to get bigger, and fat is often deposited deep in the abdomen. Research suggests that abdominal fat might be more active than fat in other parts of the body.
  • According to a recent Harvard Study, those with high cholesterol (more than 240) had an increased risk of hypertension as compared to those with desirable levels of less than 200.

Article of the Week
Caregiving Can Be Harmful to Your Health

Did you know that if you are a caregiver, you might be damaging your own health? If you are not a caregiver, is one of your parents a caregiver? The New England Journal of Medicine cited a groundbreaking new study by Dr. Nicholas Christakis that caring for a sick spouse can raise a caregiver's risk of death by 20%. For particularly disabling illnesses, like dementia, the daily toll on the caretaker is worse than the toll of a spouse's death!

Many caregivers tell me that they grieve a little every day while the person is alive. Drawing from my own personal experience, I am convinced that there is a high correlation between my mother contracting Alzheimer’s disease and serving as a caregiver to my father who was suffering from the disease. Lightning striking twice in the same household jumpstarted my attention. After having read Dr. Christakis’ research, my attention is now riveted to the internal, invisible, physiological effects of the relentless daily stress of caregiving.

You might ask: What can we do about it – run away from our responsibilities and seek our own pleasures? more
Frank Mikulka's Fitness Tip Of The Week
How to Select a Personal Trainer

I’m trying to stick to my New Year’s resolutions to get in shape and take my training seriously. I think I should hire a personal trainer. How do I go about it and what should I look for to get the most out of my buck? (Laurie, Far Rockaway)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, and Changing Habits: The Caregivers' Total Workout 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