"Tidings" - 5 new articles
What if Things Only Get Worse?These words from Max Lucado are surely the encouragement for these times. As a “senior citizen” (horrible name), I have watched the crumbling of America as I have known it. But I’m not going there with my thoughts. I’m going to cling to the cross and be comforted by Christ’s words. I hope you enjoy what Max has to say. What if things get worse? by Max LucadoChrist tells us that they will. He predicts spiritual bailouts, ecological turmoil, and worldwide persecution. Yet in the midst of it all, he contends bravery is still an option. (Matt. 24:4-14) Things are going to get bad, really bad, before they get better. And when conditions worsen, “See to it that you are not alarmed” (Matt. 24:6 NIV). Jesus chose a stout term for alarmed that he used on no other occasion. It means “to wail, to cry aloud,” as if Jesus counseled the disciples, “Don’t freak out when bad stuff happens.” “See to it…” Bosses and teachers are known to use that phrase. “See to it that you fill out the reports.” Or “Your essay is due tomorrow. See to it that you finish your work.” The words call for additional attention, special focus, extra resolve. Isn’t this what Christ is asking of us? In this dangerous day, on this Faberge’-fragile globe, with financial collapse on the news and terrorists on the loose, we have every reason to retreat into bunkers of dread and woe. But Christ says to us, “See to it that you are not alarmed.” (NIV)
And remember: “All these [challenging times] are the beginning of birth pains” (Matt. 24:8 NIV), and birth pangs aren’t all bad. (Easy for me to say.) Birth pains signal the onset of the final push. The pediatrician assures the mom-to-be, “It’s going to hurt for a time, but it’s going to get better.” Jesus assures us of the same. Global conflicts indicate our date on the maternity calendar. We are in the final hours, just a few pushes from delivery, a few brief ticks of eternity’s clock from the great crowning of creation. A whole new world is coming! From Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear
“Mind-body” Therapy Shows Promise For FibromyalgiaI found this article by Rueters very interesting. In the early days of my own onset of FMS, I had many doctors trying to send me to the “head specialists.” Because I fought them (I knew my head was not making up the pain), I was given lots of medications. Now my medical problems seem to have become reactions to my meds. Seems one just can’t win! A form of ‘mind-body’ therapy that focuses on the role of emotions in physical pain may offer some relief to people with fibromyalgia, a small clinical trial suggests. The study, of 45 women with fibromyalgia, found that those who learned a technique called “affective self-awareness” were more likely to show a significant reduction in their pain over six months. Overall, 46 percent of the women had a 30-percent or greater reduction in their pain severity, as measured by a standard pain-rating scale. Fibromyalgia is a syndrome marked by widespread pain — including discomfort at specific “tender points” in the body — along with symptoms such as fatigue, irritable bowel and sleep problems. It is estimated to affect up to 5 million U.S. adults, most commonly middle-aged women. The precise cause of fibromyalgia is unknown — there are no physical signs, such as inflammation and tissue damage in the painful area — but some researchers believe the disorder involves problems in how the brain processes pain signals. Standard treatments include painkillers, antidepressants, cognitive- behavioral therapy and exercise therapy. However, many people with fibromyalgia find that their symptoms — pain, in particular — persist despite treatment. Part of that, according to the researchers on the new study, may be because standard treatments do not specifically address the role psychological stress and emotions can play in triggering people’s pain. That is not to say that the pain people with fibromyalgia feel is “all in their head,” stressed Dr. Howard Schubiner, of St. John Health/ Providence Hospital and Medical Centers in Southfield, Michigan. “The pain is very real,” Schubiner said in an interview. But, he explained, pain and emotions are “connected in the brain,” and emotional factors may act to trigger “learned nerve pathways” that give rise to pain. Past studies have found that compared with people without fibromyalgia, those with the disorder have higher rates of stressful life events, such as childhood abuse, marital problems and high levels of job stress. There is also evidence that they are relatively less aware of their own emotions and more reluctant to express their feelings, particularly anger. For the new study, published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, Schubiner and his colleagues tested the effects of affective self-awareness — a technique Schubiner developed and uses in treating certain chronic-pain conditions — on fibromyalgia. They randomly assigned 45 women with the condition to either undergo the therapy or go on a wait-list for treatment, serving as a control group. Women in the treatment group each had a one-on-one consultation, then attended three group meetings to learn the affective self-awareness techniques so that they could carry them out on their own. The therapy involves an educational component where patients learn about the emotion-pain connection. They learn specific techniques — including mindfulness meditation and “expressive” writing — for recognizing and dealing with the emotions that may be contributing to their pain. Patients are also encouraged to get back to any exercise or other activities that they have been avoiding due to pain. Schubiner’s team found that six months later, 46 percent of the treatment group had at least a 30-percent reduction in their pain ratings compared with scores at the outset. And 21 percent had a 50-percent or greater reduction. None of the women in the control group had a comparable improvement. The study is only the first clinical trial to test affective self-awareness for fibromyalgia, and it had a number of limitations, including its small size. In addition, the control group received no active therapy to serve as a comparison. That is important because it is possible for patients to benefit from simply receiving attention from a healthcare provider, or being part of small-group sessions with other people suffering from the same condition, for example. Schubiner also acknowledged that this general “model” for understanding and addressing fibromyalgia pain is controversial. He said that he and his colleagues have applied for funding to conduct a larger clinical trial comparing affective self-awareness with standard cognitive-behavioral therapy. Affective self-awareness and cognitive-behavioral therapy have similarities, according to Schubiner. Both, for example, try to show patients that they have the power to improve their own health. A key difference, Schubiner said, is that affective self-awareness asks people to “directly engage” the emotions that may be helping to drive their symptoms. Another difference is that, right now, only a small number of healthcare providers practice affective self-awareness, according to Schubiner. Some components of the technique, such as teachings in mindfulness meditation, are more widely available. But whether those practices in isolation would help fibromyalgia patients’ pain is not clear. Author: Reuters Source: Journal of General Internal Medicine, online June 8, 2010.Copyright: Reuters 2010 Dr. Oz’s Fridge MakeoverI think I’m back on track with posting useful articles. I have had a rough couple of months so am grateful you all stuck with me.This article really has me thinking about how I can get my act together and take charge of my eating. I hope you find it as interesting!Your Kitchen Can Help You Lose WeightTake a peek in your pantry and fridge. What do you see? Chips maybe? Crackers? Cheese puffs? What’s that hiding way in the back of the freezer? Frozen pizzas? Ice cream? Here’s the thing about having all that stuff squirreled away in your kitchen: If it’s there, you’re going to eat it. And that doesn’t get you any closer to modeling that new bikini this summer. “You can’t keep bad foods in the house and expect that you won’t give in to temptation. That’s not realistic,” said Dr. Mehmet Oz, a.k.a America’s favorite physician and the host of “The Dr. Oz Show.” So, what should you do with all that junk? Grab a garbage bag, because it’s got to go. “Biology will always trump willpower, so you want to make sure you don’t set yourself up to fail,” said Dr. Oz. “In my home, we go by the 80/20 Rule. Eighty percent of what’s in the refrigerator and pantry are good wholesome foods, and 20 percent are treats that my family and I eat once in a while.” Scientists Learn to Block Pain at Its SourceThis research is fascinating and is reported in layman’s language. I used to be able to read the studies and understand all the chemical and scientific lingo. Not any more! So I appreciate an article that makes sense and doesn’t require me to try to remember my college biology or chemistry classes to make sense out of the research. And pain studies are of interest to all of us!ScienceDaily (Apr. 27, 2010) — A substance similar to capsaicin, which gives chili peppers their heat, is generated at the site of pain in the human body. Scientists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio have discovered how to block these capsaicin-like molecules and created a new class of non-addictive painkillers. Little Foxes nipping at my heelsby Jonnie Wright I was so eager to sit down to a new Bible study this morning! But all these inconsequential have-tos nibbled at my enthusiasm: brush teeth, make hot chocolate, fix chair for cat, get to that pile of to-dos by the computer, don’t lose the list for trip, and… On and on went the distractions until the phrase “little foxes ruin the vineyard” stopped me cold. Here were all these little foxes nibbling at my heels and snipping off the grapes of my joy with each diversion. (I came across this word picture in Heart to Heart with Holley called ”Invisible Squirrels.” It intrigued me.) Sit down! Sit down! My brain intoned, or you’ll never get started! Yes, but… “Come away with me my love. Listen to my voice, hear my sweet voice and receive my joy.” I sat! I sighed into His arms and let His Words overtake me–His voice sweet, His face lovely. Again I was renewed… and reminded that the cat and the cushions and the lists would sort themselves out. All I needed to do was to turn those little foxes over to God and He’d chase their yipping right out of my mind. Lord, “Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom.” (SS 2:15) More Recent Articles |
