AHEAD OF THE CURVE AT MIDLIFE- Notes from an Elderwoman: Feeling the Rapture of Being Alive
- Winners of the Purpose Prize Awarded by the White House
- Take New Natural Zero Calorie Sweetener with a Grain of Salt
- Carolyn Myss on Power, Purpose, Archetype and Accountability
- Naming Feelings with Mindfulness Reduces Painful Emotions
- Redefine Your Core To Relieve Back Pain
- FDA Alert for Users of Osteoporosis Drugs Fosomax, Actonel and Boniva
- Women Make Better Leaders
- Heart Breakthrough Reducing Inflammation with Statins? Don't Bet on It
- Workshops Help You Plan Your Retirement
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Jul
3
Notes from an Elderwoman: Feeling the Rapture of Being Alive
July 3, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Posted by: k daniel
This short essay is a gem. I don’t know how to post on this powerful and personal chronicle of aging from the inside out by Marian Van Eyk McCain, author of Elderwoman, other than to urge you to read it. It’s a glimpse into how she borrows Joseph Campbell’s assertion that people aren’t so much seeking a meaning for life as “seeking an experience of feeling the rapture of being alive” – and that that rapture is the essence of being an elderwoman. The essay evokes the lushness of youth giving way to the stark beauty of age, of busyness ceding to fullness, and the experience of being at the fulcrum around which things revolved in her mothering and working life, giving way to an empty nest where she was no longer at the center of anything except herself. Menopause is the mountainous ridge where her body and mind protested as the sap began to leave, before she turned a corner into a different world. Read more
Jul
3
Winners of the Purpose Prize Awarded by the White House
July 3, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Posted by: k daniel
Last week, President Obama met at the White House with winners of the Purpose Prize, the award from Civic Ventures given to outstanding individuals over the age of 60 who are taking on challenges to make society better. The six winners who met with Mr. Obama are social innovators seeking solutions to problems ranging from rural poverty to infant mortality and environmental protection. We’ve posted before on boomers as social entrepreneurs seeking to give back to community, and on Civic Ventures, the think tank on boomers, work, and social purpose that calls for boomers to apply their experience in ‘encore careers’ Read more
Jun
28
Take New Natural Zero Calorie Sweetener with a Grain of Salt
June 28, 2009 | 1 Comment
Posted by: k daniel
Mixed reviews on the eat-all-the-sweets you-want front. A purified extract of a plant, stevia was recently given a clean bill of health by the FDA. It’s now classified as GRAS, a “generally recognized as safe” general purpose sweetener for food. With 30–45 times the sweetness of sucrose, stevia has been available for years as a dietary supplement (in health food stores), but its classification as an herbal supplement limited food manufacturers from using it widely in prepared foods. There’s a lot of good here: Stevia has no calories as well as a zero score on the glycemic index, which measures the blood sugar-raising effects Read more
Jun
24
Carolyn Myss on Power, Purpose, Archetype and Accountability
June 24, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Posted by: k daniel
If you know Carolyn Myss, you know that she’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Author of Anatomy of the Spirit: The Seven Stages of Power and Healing, and a book on the life of mystic Teresa of Avila, she’s uniquely capable of incisive thinking on profoundly mystical subjects. In Why People Don’t Heal and How They Can, she explores “woundology’ - a term she coined to describe how some people wear illness as a badge to navigate life - without a shred of sentimentality. Always outspoken, she takes people to task for being more attached to seeking answers, or healing, than to taking responsibility for making hard choices and needed changes in their lives. Which is to say, if you’re looking for milk and honey, don’t click on this CMED link to view her Read more
Jun
23
Naming Feelings with Mindfulness Reduces Painful Emotions
June 23, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Posted by: k daniel
Do you know why people say you should “be here now,” or what “living in the present” really means - or why it’s good for you? This study provides some clues. Previous studies have shown that pictures of threatening information, like an angry face, activates a region of the brain called the amygdala, which serves as an alarm to protect the body in case of danger. Labeling the threat, however, activates a second region of the brain, the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, and reduces the amygdala response. In other words, staying present in the moment with the feeling and naming it, i.e. ‘that’s anger’ turns down the alarm response that triggers the negative feelings. Now, you may know that a common practice to help you stay in the present is mindfulness meditation. Read more
Jun
20
Do you have back pain? If you also practice Pilates or other core-strengthening exercises, the two could be related. In a startling reversal of the last decade of accepted practice in fitness training that core health is all about strengthening one set of abdominal muscles, sports scientists are questioning whether this actually gives you a stronger back - or if it’s even safe! The amount of load the spine can safely bear for example, is greatly reduced if you pull in your navel, or press your back against the floor doing sit-ups, curling up one spinal segment at a time. What seems to have shifted is the definition of ‘core’. The corset of muscles circling and holding your spine in place, your core actually consists of up to twelve Read more
Jun
19
FDA Alert for Users of Osteoporosis Drugs Fosomax, Actonel and Boniva
June 19, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Posted by: k daniel
In the last few weeks several studies have appeared alerting women to the severe side effects of biphosphonate drugs like Fosamax, Actonel, Boniva, commonly prescribed to prevent osteoporosis. One study concluded that women using Fosamax are almost twice as likely to develop irregular heartbeat, or atrial fibrillation. Another team found an increased incidence of a jaw tissue infection, and in a large seven year study, Canadian researchers found that this class of drugs nearly triples the risk of developing bone necrosis, that can result in “incapacitating pain.” A fairly strongly worded FDA alert suggests that use of Read more
Jun
16
It appears, ladies, that we’ve been outed - the hard data is in. Companies concerned about enlarging their talent pool as shortages are appearing throughout industries, have discovered that hiring and retaining women at all levels helps them meet other business goals as well. McKinsey’s research on the organizational and financial performance of companies with senior women at the helm suggests that companies with higher numbers of women at senior levels score higher on organizational and financial performance. download if i didn t care dvdrip download legally blondes dvdrip free i can t think straight download where the heart is dvd Data shows that around the world, companies with the highest scores on nine organizational dimensions—from leadership and direction to Read more
Jun
15
Heart Breakthrough Reducing Inflammation with Statins? Don't Bet on It
June 15, 2009 | 2 Comments
Posted by: k daniel
As studies increasingly show that lowering cholesterol doesn’t save lives, drug companies are focusing on the inflammation lowering effects of their popular “statin” (Crestor, Lovastatin, Lipitor, etc ) drugs. Statins do reduce some inflammation – and inflammation, produced by toxicity, stress, low grade infections or food sensitivities, and an unbalanced diet - does play a role in heart and circulatory disease - and accelerates aging! However, it’s not necessarily as stunning a breakthrough as they suggest. How are statins now suddenly, again, a “blockbuster” download flesheater offering “potent protection” with enormous “public health benefits” doing what they’ve never done indiana jones and the kingdom of the crystal skull movie care bears movie ii a new generation download free - reduce death from heart disease? Results show that some people receive short-term benefit, but as statin users taking biannual liver function tests know, most everyone Read more
Jun
11
Though many midlifers’ nest eggs have shrunk in the economic downturn and curtailed some leisure travel, interest and attendance in retirement-planning trips and workshops are on the rise. Stepping out of your everyday world for a few days of concentrated attention to contemplate a big change can help clarify what you want to do next in your life, or the next step you need to take to figure it out. These retreats might include mini-lectures, discussions, and exercises - like writing a list of what you don’t want in later life and transforming it into what you do want. People have gotten in touch with things like fear of failure, and realizing that where they live suits their needs; they don’t need to make a move. If you want to improve
