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September 2006
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Volume 2, Issue 7
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Welcome to all our new subscribers, and I extend my appreciation to everyone who forwards this newsletter to friends. One friend telling another is how we grow, and I deeply appreciate your support. If you know anyone who might enjoy reading this newletter, please forward it to them.
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IN THIS
ISSUE:
1. Greetings
from the Editor
2. Article--Breast Cancer: Steps to Aid in Early Detection
3.
Article--10 Key Strategies for Maintaining a Positive Attitude at Work and Home
4. Article-- Improving Self Esteem With a Little TLC 5. Article--The Importance of Fitness During Menopause 6. Articles & Web Sites Worth A Look - - Take a few minutes and check these out - there are some real gems.
7. Subscribe
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Dear Compassionate Friends,
Look at this, it is September already. Was it my imagination, or did the summer just zip right by? I know that technically summer isn't over and we still have the better part of a month, but to me, Labor Day always represented the end of summer because it was time to go back to school. The nights are cooler and the color of the leaves are also changing here in Denver, which are other signs of the end of summer. I hope you had a wonderful summer and will enjoy the upcoming autumn.
Essentially, our renovation project is done for the year, there are just a few minor touches to complete. And my white picket fence still need to go up. Next spring the garden will take a good deal of my time - ah, something to look forward to.
I hope that you enjoy this issue of the newsletter and will share it with your friends and family.
The Two Compassionate Hands Newsletter, like the website, is dedicated to healing the planet one person at a time. This and future issues will contain articles on physical, environmental, spiritual health - and more. We look forward to bringing you relevant information that will aid you on your path to optimal health and peace. Please let us know what would be most helpful to you and your family.
In your health and the health of our planet,
Jann Griffiths, CMT
September's Specials.
September/October 2006 Two Compassionate Hands Massage Newsletter
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Of Contents
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Look at the trees, look at the birds, look at the clouds, look at the stars... and if you have eyes you will be able to see that the whole existence is joyful. Everything is simply happy. Trees are happy for no reason; they are not going to become prime ministers or presidents and they are not going to become rich and they will never have any bank balance. Look at the flowers - for no reason. It is simply unbelievable how happy flowers are. ~Osho
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Breast Cancer: Steps To Aid In Early Detection
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by: Donna Rivera-Loudon
I learned some interesting facts about breast cancer that I feel every woman should know. The sources I used for this article included the American Cancer Society, The National Cancer Institute, and the Avon Foundation’s Breast Cancer Crusade.
Early breast cancer isn’t usually detected by pain. In fact, when breast cancer first develops, there may be no symptoms at all. That is why regular exams are important. If you have anything that makes you suspect breast cancer, contact your doctor immediately. Don't wait around to see what happens. Let the professional decide. Some symptoms that may indicate breast cancer include, but are not limited to, the following:
Nipple discharge or tenderness
Lumps in breast and/or underarm area
Visual changes which include: size of breast including swelling; inverted nipple; and pitting. Pitting means the skin looks like the skin of an orange. Scaling of the breast skin could also be a symptom.
Early detection of breast cancer is important. There is a 97% five-year survival rate when breast cancer is detected early since this can help prevent it from spreading. Below are some guidelines to early detection. I hope they help save someone's life.
Get a Mammogram
A mammogram is a specialized x-ray of the breast to help detect cancers which cannot be detected by feel. Some women are confused as to how often they should get a mammogram. Here is what the professionals say about mammograms.
At age 40 begin getting annual mammograms by a licensed technician. A mammogram will take about twenty minutes. When getting a mammogram avoid wearing deodorant, powders, or cream under your arms. Sometimes they can interfere with the results. Make sure to contact the center if they do not inform you of the results within thirty days. It is very important that results are compared from one year to the next. Hence, be sure you know where your mammogram film is being held.
Clinical Breast Exam
This is an exam by a health care professional. Women in their 20s and 30s should have a clinical breast exam at least every three years and women 40 or older should have an exam each year.
Self-Examination
Starting at age 20 women should begin doing a self-exam. Ask your doctor if you are not exactly sure how to do this or if you are not sure you are doing it correctly. Here are a few guides to follow: Lie down and place one arm behind your head. Using your three middle finger pads press firmly across your breast in overlapping dime-size circular motions. Use three different levels of pressure: light, medium, and firm. This allows you to feel the tissue close to your skin, to feel a little deeper, and to feel the tissue closest to your chest and ribs.
Move across your breast in an up and down pattern, starting from the underarm and moving across the breast to the middle of the chest bone, repeating the pressure.
Stand in front of a mirror with your hands pressing down on your hips and look at your breasts for any changes in size, shape, contour, or dimpling. Also, do this with your arms slightly raised. Make sure you check under your breasts as well.
I hope that this information proves helpful to you. I am not a health care provider and by no means a professional on breast cancer. I am simply sharing with every woman possible the importance of detecting breast cancer early and some simple guidelines that might save a life.
My sources for the above information are:
American Cancer Society The National Cancer Institute Breast Health Resource Guide by the Avon Foundation's Breast Cancer Crusade
Denver Race For the Cure 2006
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Jann Griffiths' Run to Raise $500 - Won't you please help?
One in eight women will be stricken with breast cancer in her lifetime and the more we raise, the more the Denver Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation can give back to fund vital breast cancer education, screening and treatment programs in our own community and support the national search for a cure.
Last year, the Denver Affiliate raised and awarded $2.6 million to breast cancer and breast health programs. In addition, the Affiliate awarded $1 million to international and national breast cancer research. One day we will find a cure, but for now, the need is great. With 55,000 women in the Denver metro area without access to a mammogram and 20.5% of Coloradans lacking health insurance, pledging is now more important than ever.
Please join me in the fight by pledging in support of my participation in the Race or contributing generously to the 2006 Komen Denver Race for the Cure®. Your tax-deductible contribution will fund innovative outreach and awareness programs for medically underserved communities in Denver and national breast cancer research.
Every $100 raised will help one woman receive a mammogram. A $250 donation will pay for five clinical breast exams, and $1000 will help pay for one round of the chemotherapy drug Taxotere.
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We are happy to announce that our Dharma brother, Lupe Rodriguez, was granted parole and will be released in early 2007.
In celebration of Lupe's parole, you will receive 2 sets of the Wandering Monk Cards for the price of one. |
Prison is a cruel and selfish place filled with people who have failed in life.... But prision can also be educational. If one learns how to do their time, instead of letting time do them, one can become strong---in a good way.... In the past, I had added nothing but confusion, judgement and a horrible act of violence to the world.
Now, I try to add compassion, kindness and understanding to it, along with selfless service." - Lupe Rodriguez
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10 Key Strategies for Maintaining a Positive Attitude at Work and Home
By Kate Smalley
Having a positive attitude is an important component of business
productivity. When we view ourselves positively, we accept who we
are and enable ourselves to soar to the greatest heights. But
oftentimes, professionals may have the skills and expertise they
need to work effectively but negative attitudes undermine their
efforts and diminish their results. Here are 10 essential
strategies for maintaining a positive attitude at work and home.
1. Attitude is everything, so avoid negativity. It is the lens
that you look through to experience your reality. Take a look at
your attitude. Are you negative? Do you color everything with
fear or need? How will your life change if you change your
attitude?
2. Treat people with kindness and respect. Everyone that you
encounter should be valued and treated with courtesy. Acknowledge
that they have feelings and their own perspective on life; they
may be different than yours but they are also valid.
3. Avoid comparison. Constantly comparing yourself keeps the
focus on the other person instead of on what you can do, want to
do and are good at doing. Look inside and improve from there.
4. Take responsibility for your work, actions and life. Don't
pass the buck. Don't make excuses. Take responsibility;
acknowledge a mistake, fix it and learn from it. Don't beat
yourself up about the mistake or hang onto past mistakes. Resolve
them, own them and move forward. Today.
5. Adopt a that-doesn't-work-for-me stance. When someone insults
or belittles you, keep in mind that your worth comes from
you…your being…your true self. They can't change your intrinsic
value unless you let them. Make it clear that what they're doing
doesn't work for you. Keep your self-confidence and continue to
move forward.
6. Respect other people's time and boundaries. If you are having
a bad day, feeling stuck, or you are just enjoying
procrastinating, make sure you don't use that as an excuse to
waste other people's time or cross their boundaries. Time is the
most valuable thing we have.
7. Make a what-I-have-accomplished list. Too often, people make
huge to-do lists and then beat themselves up when they have only
accomplished a few things on the list. Each day, keep a specific
list of all the things you did and how much time you spent on
each thing. You'll know where the day went, can feel good about
what you did accomplish and see where you need to focus to get
what's most important to you done.
8. Take notice of the people around you. Acknowledge what
co-workers, customers, clients, vendors and other people are
contributing and don't take them for granted. Thank them for
buying from you, for their help, their value to the relationship
and for a job well done.
9. Enjoy the little things that happen in your day. Relish the
compliment someone gave you on the insight you shared at the
staff meeting or the big smile the customer gave you when they
picked up their order. By recognizing your accomplishments, even
if they seem small or routine, you are acknowledging a job well
done.
10. Always come from a positive attitude and perspective and you
will feel more in control.
Consider each job and interaction as your best performance,
rather than just running them together as part of your day. You
will see the impact you have and the value you offer. Others will
also notice your efforts and will respect your for your
contributions.
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Copyright Kate Smalley
Connecticut Secretary
Transcription and Secretarial Support Services
http://www.connecticutsecretary.com
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Exercise Your Willpower Support Group Mailing List
If you need more motivation and some group support, feel free to subscribe to the Exercise Your Willpower mailing list. There is a great group of people who help motivate each other. To get more information, visit the website at: http://www.exerciseyourwillpower.com
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Improving Self-Esteem With A Little TLC
By Wendy Betterini
It is so important to take time to do nice things for ourselves. Especially for those of us who spend much of our time helping and caring for others, it is too easy to neglect ourselves and become worn out, stressed out and run down.
Self-pampering is not about being selfish. It's about taking proper care of yourself and treating yourself as kindly as you treat others. We spend so much time and effort caring for our spouses, children, pets, friends, family members, employers and employees. Add to that numerous volunteer activities, errands, housework, family functions, meetings, etc. - and there isn't much time left for caring for ourselves.
We need to make caring for ourselves a priority, otherwise we will continue to put it off. Set an appointment with yourself every day, or at least once a week. Block the time out in your calendar and do not let anything interfere. As much as you do for others, you deserve this time for yourself. It doesn't have to be a huge amount of time, even an hour or two will do.
You might have a hard time with this in the beginning. You might feel guilty or selfish. You might say you can't fit it into your schedule. You might say you have too many other obligations. If your schedule is that full every day, then it is even more crucial to carve out some time for yourself. You may need to sacrifice something else to fit this time in. You may need to rearrange some things in your schedule. Aren't you worth the effort of trying to fit this in? It's a matter of believing that you deserve to be cared for just as much as everyone else in your life does. It might take some practice for you to fully believe that, and act on it.
In order to make time for yourself, you may need to say "no" to various extra obligations in your life. So many of us take on responsibilities that aren't even ours. We have various reasons for doing this, such as wanting to be liked, not wanting to let others down, wanting to help lighten the load for someone else, or simply because we don't know how to say "NO". However, this "pleaser" mentality can get us into big trouble as we take on more and more responsibility, and end up with less and less time for ourselves.
People will take advantage of us if we let them. They may not realize they are taking advantage, and they may not mean to take advantage. They might not even realize that we don't want to do what they ask of us. After all, if we've never said "no", how would they know? It took me years to learn how to say "no". Finally I realized that it's as simple as saying, "I'm sorry, I'd love to help you out but I just can't right now." That simple. The first few times I did this, I expected the Heavens to crash down upon me. Instead, the other person said, "okay, no problem" and they asked someone else. Who knew it could be that easy?
Now, if you have people in your life that have become fully dependent on you doing everything for them, you might face a bit more opposition than that. You may have a fight on your hands in order to make time for yourself. In the end, you may need to decide which is more important: 1) pleasing everyone else in your life, or 2) putting caring for yourself as your highest priority. You will need to decide if you are worth the fight, or not. I believe you are.
Be kind and gentle with yourself. If you don't make the time to care for yourself, who else is going to? Look within your heart and see the bright, shining light of God there. That light needs to be nurtured and cared for, or it will begin to dim . . . and eventually die out altogether. And what a shame that would be.
Here are some self-pampering ideas to get you started:
Take a bubble bath by candle light. Spend time in Nature. Get a manicure or pedicure. Have a massage. Listen to soothing music or nature sounds. Send yourself flowers. Treat yourself to lunch or dinner at a nice restaurant. Go window shopping. Relax with a cup of calming chamomile tea. Write your hopes, dreams and wishes in a journal. Watch a comedy or read something funny. Go for a quiet stroll in the evening, or early morning. Buy yourself something new. Get a new hairdo. Visit a spa and have a facial. See a new movie. Dance. Take a nap. Go to an outdoor cafe and watch the world go by as you sip a latte, cappuccino, espresso or flavored coffee. Curl up with a good book. Write a love letter to yourself and mail it. Take dance lessons. Learn a new language. Take pottery classes, or quilting classes, or learn how to make yourself some beautiful jewelry. Say this to yourself every morning and every evening: "I am a beautiful person and I deserve to be treated kindly. I am loved, and I love myself."
About the Author:
Wendy Betterini is a freelance writer and web designer in New England. She is the owner of http://www.WorkatHomeBalance.com which features work/life balance tips for entrepreneurs, home business owners, telecommuters and freelancers. Visit today for more tips on balancing work and family under one roof.
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The Importance of Fitness During Menopause
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By Susan Megge
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Learn About the Crucial Links Between Fitness and Menopause
Did you know that a regular fitness or exercise routine plays a major role in reducing the symptoms of menopause? One particular symptom of menopause is weight gain, which, unfortunately seems to develop just as a woman finally reaches a point in her life when she's mature and self-confident, and then the fat starts piling on. This weight gain is quite common and the result of declining hormone levels which causes the metabolism to slow down significantly, even in pre-menopausal women.
The majority of women will especially notice an increased amount of fat deposition around their mid-section, which plays a significant role in contributing to heart disease, the number one killer of middle-aged and older women. Not to worry; this weight can be managed quite easily by simply getting into a regular fitness and exercise routine. Fitness and consistent activity really are the keys to decreasing weight and avoiding the pitfalls of aging. By committing to a regular exercise routine, one which includes weight bearing exercises, women will change the muscle-to-fat ratio, enabling them to increase their metabolic rate and burn calories, even at rest.
In addition to weight gain, women in their thirties begin to lose bone mass at a rate of approximately 1% per year and that rate increases to 2%-3% per year after menopause. Studies have shown that exercise can actually increase a woman's bone density, thus reducing the risk of osteoporosis and the incidence of falls and bone fractures associated with osteoporosis. Unfortunately, osteoporosis often goes undetected until bone fractures occur, but by taking preventative measures, such as getting into a regular fitness routine, women can indeed reduce this risk.
Exercise and fitness can also be beneficial in reducing the incidence of hot flashes, a common symptom of menopause. Hot flashes can contribute to impaired sleep patterns and a decreased energy level. Additionally, hot flashes can also affect one's overall mood, which has the potential to negatively affect both personal and professional relationships. While estrogen replacement therapy has been shown to decrease these symptoms, for many women a regular exercise routine appears to be a very viable alternative.
Simply stated, making fitness and exercise a priority will benefit most women who are approaching or experiencing menopause, and the positive results, both physically and emotionally, are well worth the extra time required to begin and continue a regular exercise routine. It's easy to make excuses to not make time to ensure that fitness is a priority, but it's crucial to understand that being regularly active will lead to overall good health now and in the future. The only results you'll see from your added physical activity will be those that are very beneficial to you and those you love.
About the Author:
Susan Megge founded http://www.40isbeautiful.com to assist women with issues related to menopause, such as weight gain, hot flashes, mood swings, etc. Susan Megge is the author of "Being Beautiful Beyond 40," a book dedicated to give women the confidence and inspiration to experience menopause with minimal symptoms and learn to embrace these years.
Read more articles by: Susan Megge
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A lake carries you into recesses of feeling otherwise impenetrable. ~William Wordsworth
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Articles and Web
Sites Worth a Look
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"Great is the matter of birth and death,
Time passes quickly.
Wake-up! Wake-up!
Don't waste a minute."
-on the wall outside of the Zendo at the Zen Center of Denver
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Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. ~Kahlil Gibran
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