TruthBook Religious News Blog

Ancient practice is helping people slow down and find serenity and, evidence suggests, improve their health

By KELLY BOTHUM • The News Journal • July 21, 2009

Russ Apple has practiced meditation for 35 years as a way to live in the moment and find the calm amid the sea of chaos around him. Through meditation, he has explored what it means to live life from the inside out and learned how to escape a mind always in motion.

While others boast of their Bluetooths and BlackBerrys that allow them to juggle five tasks simultaneously, Apple remains deliberate in finishing one thing at a time. A one-on-one conversation is just that -- him and another person talking, with no other distractions or filters to get in the way.

His appreciation for the power of meditation has only deepened since his diagnosis of appendiceal cancer in 2008. Despite two surgeries and several rounds of chemotherapy, the cancer has not abated. But Apple has found strength in continuing to live life in the present, one of the key focus points of meditation.

"The thing with cancer is, there's this threat of death. And the threat of death is the understanding that the tomorrow may not be," said Apple, who has decided to forego traditional cancer therapies and follow alternative treatments. "The blessing, if one's willing to look at it like that, is that I no longer live in the tomorrow or in the past. I've got today."

On the surface, something as simple as sitting silently or chanting mantras in a lifelong search for inner peace seems out of place in an always-on-the-go, technology-driven society. But it's an ancient practice that has remained popular despite our infatuation with speeding up life and staying busy.

An estimated 20 million Americans had practiced meditation within the past year, according to a 2007 survey by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. By comparison, about 15 million people had practiced meditation in 2002.

Across the country, medical centers like St. Francis Hospital in Wilmington are even offering guided imagery and other relaxation techniques to help patients preparing for surgery or living with chronic health problems.

This is the first of a five-page article about the benefits of meditation. Please click on "external source" for the whole article.

And, here is another view, with a Jesusonian twist; this article discusses "Jesus-Style" meditation

Labels: cancer, health, Kelly Bothum, meditation, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Permalink | Link to External Source Article

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Pitt survey indicates spiritual wellness aids in cancer fight

By Allison M. Heinrichs
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, July 9, 2009

Feeling angry with or abandoned by God increases depression in women with breast cancer, according to a survey by Pittsburgh doctors, which advises clinicians to ask patients questions about their religion and guide them to use spirituality to cope.

The yearlong survey of 284 patients explored the relationship between "religious coping" and well-being. The results, published in the Journal of Palliative Medicine, indicate that doctors should listen for "red flag" comments such as, "Why is God punishing me?"

"That's a sign for clinicians that these patients are feeling abandoned," said Dr. Randy Hebert, medical director of Forbes Hospice and lead author of the report.

Please click on "external source" for the complete article

Labels: Allison M. Heinrichs, cancer, God, religion, spirituality, well-being

Permalink | Link to External Source Article

Friday, March 14, 2008

Bypassing 'Big Pharma' with Alternative Medical Treatment

Holistic, non-toxic therapies gain ground in wake of drug recalls

March 14, 2008 --

Pamela Hoeppner, author of The Breast Stays Put ($15.99, paperback, 978-1-60477-103-9), is living proof that alternative treatments can not only keep you healthy but win the battle against cancer. She, along with two other new authors from Xulon Press, is spreading the word that people must take charge of their own healthcare and now have choices other than conventional medicine. In the wake of the healthcare crisis and repeated drug recalls, Americans are discovering the body's miraculous ability to heal itself through non-toxic and alternative therapies, or what one physician has called "the medicine of the 21st century."

After running her own successful business in Wellness Alternatives, Hoeppner faced the unthinkable. She was diagnosed with a malignant, fast-growing breast cancer. She declined all conventional treatment and chose an alternative approach with an impressive track record-- Protocel®. In her inspiring book, she shares her courageous story of overcoming a deadly diagnosis and provides prevention and treatment information. "With the Internet, and the world of alternative medicine it opens up only a click away, people today are taking charge of their lives, especially their health, and they're searching for options. The Breast Stays Put was my way of telling the world, 'You do have options--I found my answer--and I'm living proof that bona fide options and choices exist!'"

Author Ricki Pepin's son suffered for more than a decade with an unexplained, disabling illness. Desperate for answers, Pepin embarked on an intensive search for answers amid confusing and often conflicting medical data. She discovered seven biblical principles that she believes is God's prescription for healthy living. God's Health Plan: The Audacious Journey to a Better Life ($17.99, paperback, 978-1-60266-698-6; $27.99, hardcover, 978-1-60266-699-3), is based on her effort to find help for her child. "It's about wholeness and restoration of mind, body and spirit," says Pepin. "It's about adding life to your years, not just years to your life."

The seven principles encompass food choices, medical care alternatives, and environmental stewardship practices that will create healthier lives and a replenished world. Pepin believes we stand on the brink of a medical paradigm shift from fighting disease to maintaining health, but individuals face enormous frustration as they begin to take charge of maintaining their own health. "There is so much information available in the health industry today, and it is often hard to decipher what is true and what is mere hype," Pepin says. "This book will help ordinary people to sift out the fads and fallacies and find God's principles on health, which can lead to their own physical and spiritual restoration."

In the midst of confusing modern-day diets, food restrictions, and unnecessary fear-inducing food warnings, What the Best Doctor Recommends (paperback, 978-1-60477-552-5) reaches out to the many disillusioned souls who struggle with unnecessary food-related battles. Written by "Ms. Abigail" (penname), the book presents time-tested biblical secrets to eating--secrets which have been programmed within us since creation. It offers a simple, realistic, and logical solution for today's broad spectrum of dieting debates and health issues. Those principles helped the author completely overcome all her food-related issues on a physical, mental, and emotional level. "My mission is to spread a message of hope, one that lifts the confusion and relieves the frustration that countless diets and food restrictions have created in the lives of many," says Ms. Abigail.

Xulon Press, a part of Salem Communications Corporation, is the world's largest Christian publisher, with more than 5,000 titles published to date. Retailers may order the books mentioned above through Ingram Book Company and/or Spring Arbor Book Distributors.

Labels: Bible, cancer, God's Health Plan, medicine, mind-body connection, Ms. Abigail, Pamela Hoeppner, Ricki Pepin, spirituality, The Breast Stays Put, What the Best Doctor Recommends, Xulon Press