Provocative Health Care 2008 Predictions

1 Tevet, 5768

It’s that Psychic Season again, when people with fancy and spooky titles such as “Seer,” “Prognosticator,” "Psychic" and “Forecaster” make their audiences rather anxious with ominous predictions for the new calendar year. I prefer to have happier thoughts filling my mind and yours. And I delight in providing people with something helpful or interesting to contemplate. I sincerely believe that acts of pleasant behavior provoke more goodness in the universe. So, I now announce Yocheved Golani’s Provocative Health Care Predictions for 2008. Five predictions, to be exact (may goodness fill our lives!):

1. A scientist who has discovered the cure for some animal viruses will launch a cure for several human viruses including AIDS.

2. A webportal databasing every known form of cure for every known medical malady will launch to serve patients and medical professionals searching for the exact treatment needed for specific diagnoses with specific complications. I even know the URL!

3. War will engulf the world (possibly for less than one month). People will create Out-of-the-Box solutions to medical and other problems (think of that ER episode when Nurse Carol Hathaway was trapped in a corner market with a shooting victim and used glue, straws, duct tape and other items to preserve his life).

4. Prayer and acts of benevolence will prove astonishingly helpful to anyone performing them as well as to the intended beneficiaries of these kindnesses. The kind of stuff that makes news headlines.

5. Stem Cell Research and Therapy will be eclipsed by a bigger medical discovery. Hmmm… I’ll give you one hint. It concerns music.

The Bases for My Predictions
How do I know to launch such guesses? Well, I've been a medical writer for some time. Keep coming back to this blog for the answers to that question. Find out what I knew before much of the medical world. I have wonderful sources for information and they're not extraterrestrial. They are quite human, humble, and very hard working.

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Buy It's My Crisis! And I'll Cry if I Need To. Learn how to cope with the confusion sure to happen when the world faces a paradigm shift in the coming year (I predicted a world war lasting less than a month, after all)!

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CHANUKA’S HERE for a Few More Days !!!!! Share some happiness when you give loved ones or anybody in need of a medical morale boost a copy of It's MY Crisis! And I’ll Cry if I Need To. Buy it at http://www.booklocker.com/books/3067.html

or from any book outlet.

Order it in book stores anywhere if it’s not on the shelves. It's MY Crisis! And I’ll Cry if I Need To can be shipped worldwide. Specialty editions are available for large organizations.

Booksellers, save on large quantities of It's MY Crisis!
https://secure.booklocker.com:443/booklocker/wholesale/order.php

To your good health,

Yojeved Golani
Coping with a Medical Crisis?

Make the Changes You Need in Your Life.

Neurological, National Council of Negro Women to Reduce Childhood Overweight, and Breast Cancer News Roundup

29 Kislev 5768

I usually post mid-week, but WHEW, holiday season is apparently not the time for taking breaks in the world of medical developments. Here are some awesome snippets of information I gleaned from the many press releases I’ve received this past week. They're just too good to save until Monday or Tuesday:

1. Free, accurate information on many neurological disorders is now available on a new Spanish language website from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH): http://espanol.ninds.nih.gov/. Learn about stroke, dementia, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, autism, and many other neurological disorders at that URL. The publications can be downloaded or ordered free of charge. The website also provides information on clinical studies, links to non-profit organizations that offer information and assistance on neurological disorders, and a contact form where people can submit questions on topics related to health and biomedical research.

2. Michigan rehabilitation center improves lives of brain injury survivors: http://www.origamirehab.org/education/pyramid_strat_n_definitions.html

While we’re on the topic of brain injury, I hope you’ll hang up your cell phone FOREVER: STUDY: Regular cellphone use increases tumor risk...

3. Holiday Assistance for families dealing with pediatric brain tumor!
http://virtualtrials.com/news3.cfm?item=4065

4. Officials from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a collaboration with the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) to help African American children maintain a healthy weight. As part of this collaboration, NCNW members around the U.S. will offer a fun, fast-paced training program for parents, and one for children, developed by the National Institutes of Health. The programs are based on NIH's successful "We Can!" or "Ways to Enhance Children's Activity & Nutrition," a science-based national education program to help children ages 8-13 stay at a healthy weight. For more information, visit http://wecan.nhlbi.nih.gov/ or call toll-free (in the USA) 866-35-WE CAN (866-359-3226)







5. Weight gain hurts breast cancer survival

While we’re on the breast cancer topic, see

'Cool' Israeli technology freezes lumps and tumors
Israeli start-up Arbel Medical had developed a new technology that may be able to remove breast lumps and tumors with cryotherapy, a method of surgery that uses extreme cold to kill diseased tissue. The therapy, IceSense, can be used with local anesthetic alone, and promises not only to significantly reduce treatment and recuperation time for the patient, but also leave no scars. Clinical trials of the new device begin in Israel at the end of this year, and are planned for the US in spring next year. Read on...

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CHANUKA’S HAPPENING FOR A FEW MORE DAYS!!!!! Spread more cheer when you buy someone a copy of It's MY Crisis! And I’ll Cry if I Need To at http://www.blogger.com/

Order it in book stores if it’s not on the shelves. It's MY Crisis! And I’ll Cry if I Need To can be shipped worldwide. Specialty editions are available for large organizations.

Booksellers, save on large quantities of It's MY Crisis!
https://secure.booklocker.com/booklocker/wholesale/order.php

To your improving mental and physical health,

Yojeved Golani
Coping with a Medical Crisis?
Make the Changes You Need in Your Life.

Clowning Around in the Patient's Room

27 Kislev 5768

It's My Crisis! And I'll Cry if I Need To holds contact information about Compassionate Clown Alley and Dr. Neal Goldberg in the book's Resources section. Find out why both are wonderful to have near a sick person. Read: Alternative Medicine: Clowning It Up at Hospitals

UPDATE: Here's contact information for buying a Hanuka (Chanuka, spell it as you wish) menora that blind persons can light by themselves: milbat@netvision.net.il. Call the Israel office at +972.3.530.3739 for more information. Sorry, I do not have an online photo to show you.

Learn more about MILBAT's innovative technologies for the disabled in my book It's MY Crisis! And I'll Cry if I Need To: A Life Book that Helps You to Dry Your Tears and to Cope with a Medical Challenge.
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CHANUKA’S Gonna be HERE One More Week!!!!! Spread more cheer when you buy someone a copy of It's MY Crisis! And I’ll Cry if I Need To at http://www.blogger.com/

Order it in book stores if it’s not on the shelves. It's MY Crisis! And I’ll Cry if I Need To can be shipped worldwide. Specialty editions are available for large organizations.

Booksellers, save on large quantities of It's MY Crisis!
https://secure.booklocker.com/booklocker/wholesale/order.php

Wishing you a happier, healthier holiday season,

Yocheved Golani
Coping with a Medical Crisis?
Make the Changes You Need in Your Life.

Teach Your Doctor How to Listen! And to Use Time Wisely.

26 Kislev 5768

You know that ice cold sinking feeling you get when a doctor is treating you like a nuisance on a conveyor belt? Or worse, insulting you? You want to scream, "I Need You to Pay Attention to Me and to Treat me with R-E-S-P-E-C-T!"

And then you feel awful for your raging emotions. Sigh. Welcome to the real world of medicine, sickness, and the search for relief.

Many doctors are wonders of courageous, kind-hearted humanity. Others need to figure out how to truly listen to their patients. We need for them to understand that they owe us their full attention when we consult them or let them treat us. We are not medical geniuses or therapists. We are balls of terror, nerves on edge, and struggling to appear calm when we feel desperate.

The Los Angeles Times recently published an article defining proper procedures for doctors. Not medical procedures, either. This is about social skills, listening attentively and respectfully to patients in the office, at the hospital, and on the phone. Take notes on the article or print it out, in order to share the lessons with your medical team:

Like doctors, seniors don't have time to waste - Los Angeles Times

Before I close this section of today's post, I want to share one more relevant thought: Dear Doctors: Your patients do not care to shiver in the cold air nor do they want to expose their privates to the whole world passing by the exam room door. Those merciless cloth or paper gowns and towelettes must go! Tolerate the button-free, extra-long T-shirts that we women prefer to wear while you're examining us. And let the men wear their underthings. Honest, we didn't go to a doctor's office or other medical site to catch cold, to feel humiliated beyond endurance, or to wonder if we're the worst-looking person you've seen all day. Yes, you comfortably dressed in the suit, tie and shoes covered by a white lab coat. sigh...

All you need to do is to GOOGLE the phrases "Modest medical gowns" or "modest hospital gowns" and bunches of wonderful resources come up. Readers, share the news with your medical professionals. Doctors, please stock those far more preferable clothing alternatives in your offices.

I hope that the above information warms your hearts and helps you on your healing/coping journey. Or helps you in your professional endeavors, Doctor ;^ )

UPDATE: Here's a brilliant bit of news about using a Check-List to better manage medical care. The article's a bit long, but golly is it worth reading: The Checklist by Atul Gawande - If something so simple can transform intensive care, what else can it do?

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CHANUKA’S STILL HAPPENING !!!!! Spread more cheer when you buy someone a copy of It's MY Crisis! And I’ll Cry if I Need To at http://www.blogger.com/

Order it in book stores if it’s not on the shelves. It's MY Crisis! And I’ll Cry if I Need To can be shipped worldwide. Specialty editions are available for large organizations.

Booksellers, save on large quantities of It's MY Crisis!
https://secure.booklocker.com/booklocker/wholesale/order.php

To your good health,

Yocheved Golani

Coping with a Medical Crisis?

Make the Changes You Need in Your Life.

Motivational Thoughts Coming At You (and FROM YOU!)

25 Kislev 5768

Gosh do I appreciate that you're managing a medical crisis at this time of year. Twelve months ago I was still creeping forward with the help of a cane. Today I can dance a jig. I remember very clearly what it is like to go from despair to joy many times over in my healing journey, and how that progress happened.

Here's a motivational thought. I suggest that you note it in your day-planner or journal, maybe even tape it to the refrigerator: "Your past will be your future if you pack it into your personal baggage."

What it means is that dwelling on the miserable parts of your past in conversations and in your private thoughts, or making your actions reflect that sadness just drag it smack into your future! Redesign your life. Launder the yukky stuff in your luggage ;^ )

Focus on what's working, the things that are going well. Create happy remarks you consciously share with others. Talk to yourself in an upbeat way. Everyone around you will notice the pleasant change. They'll feel invited to share happiness with you. Yours and theirs!

Do it. Dont't just "try" to leave your past behind you. Actually Leave it Behind You! Your future is opening before your face, your limbs and your mind. Let it into your life, one improvement at a time. Then you can replace your motivational thought with a newer one: I AM LIVING MY FUTURE AND INVITING PROGRESS, HAPPINESS, HEALING, SERENITY AND CALM INTO MY LIFE.

I'm the redhead in the lower left corner, hoping to see the improvements in your life. Drop me a line and let me know how things go!















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Votes for It's MY Crisis! And I’ll Cry if I Need To are climbing (with the highest average score) since I announced a few days ago that the Musella Foundation for Brain Tumor Research and Information added my book to its Recommended Reading list. [Oy, my writing colleagues will want to clobber me for such a loooong sentence]

Please join the fun and help to promote awareness of It's MY Crisis! And I’ll Cry if I Need To. Amazon will surely notice the sales as more readers buy it for someone they love, including themselves.

Go to http://www.virtualtrials.com/books.cfm then scroll to the bottom gray area. Find the title It's MY Crisis! And I’ll Cry if I Need To. Click on a number on that same line (I hope you'll click on the number 10).

You can buy It's MY Crisis! And I’ll Cry if I Need To at the Musella website with a credit card. Then you and everyone with whom you share my book can feel better.

Thanks so much!

Happy Holiday Shopping and STOCKING STUFFER ALERT!

CHANUKA’S HERE !!!!! Xmas is coming up and so's Kwaanza. Spread more cheer when you buy someone a copy of It's MY Crisis! And I’ll Cry if I Need To at http://www.booklocker.com/books/3067.html

Order it in book stores if it’s not on the shelves. It's MY Crisis! And I’ll Cry if I Need To can be shipped worldwide. Specialty editions are available for large organizations.

Booksellers, save on large quantities of It's MY Crisis!
https://secure.booklocker.com/booklocker/wholesale/order.php
















To your good health,

Yojeved Golani
Coping with a Medical Crisis?
Make the Changes You Need in Your Life.

Make Your Memory Skills STRONG No Matter How Old You Are!

24 Kislev 5768

Some days you wonder what day it is, let alone where the car keys went. Gosh, do I have a clock for you (with thanks to John Kallestad of Day Clocks http://www.dayclocks.com/, who permits me to post his product here.)

I’ve provided simple tips for improving your memorization skills before today. The National Institute on Aging (NIA) http://www.nia.nih.gov/ just shared more good news in a November 30 2007 press release. Here’s a snippet from that announcement:

"Older adults with pre-existing mild memory impairment benefit as much as those with normal memory function from certain forms of cognitive training that don't rely on memorization, according to a study published this week in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society."

It means that older adults have the ability to maintain skills that allow them to carry out daily tasks and lead a higher quality of life. All they need is a bit of professional training with their existing cognitive skills (Cognitive Skills mean what you know, plus how you know facts).

The National Institute on Aging and The National Institute on Nursing Research http://www.ninr.nih.gov/ suggest using different types of activities (e.g., word lists, story telling, problem-solving exercises) and focusing on specific areas of the brain to improve memory.

Meanwhile, other evidence shows that if you have a hobby of filling in word or number puzzles, keeping diaries or journals, and of getting regular exercise, then you’re already strengthening your brain power for long-term benefits.

UPDATE: Here's a cool resource: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/11/health/11brod.html?_r=1&ei=5070&em=&en=8da9d4b5c4af4681&ex=1197608400&pagewanted=printr&oref=slogin

And here's another: http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2007/04/11/easy-steps-to-improve-your-brain-health-now/Steps to improve brain health which include physical exercise, good nutrition, mental exercise, and stress management with tips on each.

OH! Remember those car keys I mentioned in the first sentence up above? Here ya go! (Gosh if things were only this easy in real life!)

CHANUKA’S ONLY HOURS AWAY (Dec. 4/5)!!!!! Spread more cheer soon! Buy It's MY Crisis! And I’ll Cry if I Need To at http://www.blogger.com/

Order it in book stores if it’s not on the shelves. It's MY Crisis! And I’ll Cry if I Need To can be shipped worldwide. Specialty editions are available for large organizations.

Booksellers, save on large quantities of It's MY Crisis!
https://secure.booklocker.com/booklocker/wholesale/order.php






To your good health,

Yocheved Golani
Coping with a Medical Crisis?
Make the Changes You Need in Your Life.

Musella Foundation Recommends "Its MY Crisis! And I'll Cry if I Need To"

22 Kislev 5768

Al Musella, creator and head of The Musella Foundation For Brain Tumor Research Information just sent me an E-mail after reading It's MY Crisis! And I’ll Cry if I Need To . He indicates "It is good. I added it as a recommended book to our book list."

You can add to the popularity of It's MY Crisis and I'll Cry if I Need To by voting for it at http://virtualtrials.com/books.cfm. Scroll down to the bottom of the page, find my book's title in the gray area and on the same line click "10."




CHANUKA STARTS THIS WEEK(Dec. 4/5)!!!!! XMAS and KWAANZA are coming right up! Spread more cheer soon! Buy It's MY Crisis! And I’ll Cry if I Need To at http://www.blogger.com/

Order it in book stores if it’s not on the shelves. It's MY Crisis! And I’ll Cry if I Need To can be shipped worldwide. Specialty editions are available for large organizations.

Booksellers, save on large quantities of It's MY Crisis!
https://secure.booklocker.com/booklocker/wholesale/order.php

To your good health,

Yocheved Golani
Coping with a Medical Crisis?
Make the Changes You Need in Your Life.