Spirituality - My Recovery

by Rebbetzin Feige Twerski

My leg wasn’t the only thing that got shattered that fateful day.

A year and a half ago I was struck by a car during a casual summer walk with a friend. I was fortunate to survive the accident, but my leg was shattered and I needed surgery to reconstruct my leg. Complications followed and, not unpredictably, my recovery has proceeded slowly and sporadically, with many ups and downs. Additionally, the accident had an adverse effect on my immune system, and what might have been ordinary episodes of cellulitis and shingles, turned into prolonged and excruciating ordeals. It is fair to say that the physical residual toll is still being exacted. The post-traumatic emotional scars are less obvious, manifesting themselves in almost imperceptible ways, but are, nonetheless, a reality with which I have to contend.

Life as usual came to a halt. Deadlines to which I was committed had to be abandoned, appointments canceled, and a myriad of other obligations which are generally viewed as non-negotiable, were set aside in deference to healing and recovering. All the must-do’s became irrelevant, non-issues. Slowing down was mandated by a wake-up call, a message sent by Divine providence. This unanticipated respite in the stream of my life provided necessary reflection and contemplation. The following are some of the thoughts and insights born from this experience.

Should we use doctors, or just have faith that God will heal?

by Matt Slick

There is nothing in the Bible that says we cannot use doctors. In fact, Luke is commonly believed to have been a physician. So, God has chosen a doctor to help write the New Testament.

God has gifted believers, as well as unbelievers, with the ability to study medicine and to be used by Him in order to heal people. In fact, God has gifted all kinds of people in all kinds of ways. What about going to the orthodontist to have our teeth straightened? 

As Christians, should we just pray about it and not go? Or what about people with bad vision? Should they pray and ask for healing or go to the ophthalmologist? The answer is simple. Do both. Pray and ask the Lord to heal you. If He doesn't, go to a doctor.

Miracles Still Happen-Testimony by poetryechoes

Pastor Linda Sharing God's Love

"Whispers Of Worship"

Dearest Friends,This Testimony just came to me via one of our very own here on 

Poetrypoem and with all the different trials and reports given us these days 

Shattered Dreams (part 1)

Sharon Jaynes

Today's Truth
"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has born? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands," (Isaiah 49:15-16 NIV).

Friend to Friend
My husband and I were reveling in our time with our good friends from our college days, Larry and Cynthia Price. It had been almost a year since our last visit and I was hungry to hear of the latest family news about their children, Daniel, Julianna, and Laura Beth. While the four adults feasted on grilled teriyaki chicken, steamy baked potatoes, tossed salad with home grown sliced tomatoes, the kids ran out the door to attend the Friday night high school football game. For over an hour conversation and sweet tea flowed like a mountain stream. We were just finishing the last bites of chocolate silk pie when our laughter was interrupted by the ringing phone.

"Hello," Cynthia answered.

Heart Problems: A Dad Shaped Hole

Written by H. Norman Wright

Not every girl gets to be Daddy’s little girl. Many are missing the father-daughter relationship that is so essential for any child to have. The following excerpt is from H. Norman Wright’s A Dad-Shaped Hole in My Heart. Dads, see for yourself and learn how to help heal that ‘dad-shaped hole’ in your daughter’s heart. Daughters or even sons, consider what Wright has to say about that hole in your heart.

I’d like to begin this first chapter with June’s story. In many ways her story mirrors the cry of countless daughters just like you, who struggle with the effects of a dad who wasn’t there for them. Year after year they cry: Daddy, where are you? Who are you?

Deep belly fat may increase after liposuction: study

A plastic surgeon checks an arm of a patient who is travelling from Australia to Seoul to get a liposuction at the BK DongYang Plastic Surgery Clinic in Seoul October 4, 2011. 
REUTERS/Lee Jae-Won/Files


REUTERS - Thinking of liposuction to trim your tummy? You may want to make sure you exercise after that, or risk putting on even more unhealthy fat.

According to a Brazilian study, women who have liposuction may actually gain some fat deeper within the abdomen - a type of fat that's particularly unhealthy.

The researchers, led by Fabiana Benatti of the University of Sao Paolo, found that within months of abdominal liposuction, there may an increase in the so-called "visceral" fat that surrounds the abdominal organs.

Are You Entitled to All The Sex You Want?

Douglas Weiss, Ph.D. New Man - Sexual Purity

Question: How many times is too much? How many times is not enough?

Answer: Now here is a real guy question. Unfortunately, there's not a concrete, one-size-fits-all answer. First, let's deal with entitlement. We are not entitled to all the sex we want. 

Sex isn't something that you want to approach just from a physical perspective. This would be like your wife asking how much prayer and nurture she's entitled to have from her Christian husband!

If you're looking for averages, two to three times a week is average for couples under 50 and one to two times a week is average for couples over 50.

Now for some of you, this would be heaven. For others, this would be hell. If your wife is within these ranges, you have a healthy, sexual woman. Most likely, she's not your fantasy's insatiable several-times-a-day-porn-star you might have trained your brain and body to think is normal. Sorry! That is poor training for intimate, satisfying sex.

Beauty from the Inside Out

Janet Maccaro, PH.D.,

You’ll need more than cosmetics for great-looking skin and a lovely appearance. You’ll need to understand the health and beauty connection.

Beauty truly does radiate from within. A healthy, vibrant woman defies age. As a testimony and reflection of our self-esteem, inner beauty and vibrancy, true beauty is the result of inner vitality, balance, health and happiness, not vanity.

Optimal nutrition, stress-relieving exercise and a positive frame of mind are requirements you must tote along on your continued journey toward complete balance. A balanced body and a beautiful spirit are better than the very best cosmetic application or surgery.

With proper nutrition, rest, relaxation and exercise, you can keep your body balanced, healthy and youthful throughout your entire life. Your skin can be wrinkle-free and elastic, your eyes can sparkle, your complexion can be smooth, and your face can be firm and tight.

Womb cancer deaths 'are rising'

Survival rates for women with womb cancer have improved

The number of women dying from cancer of the womb - known as uterine cancer - has increased by nearly 18% in the past decade, according to the charity Cancer Research UK.

Data showed that more cases are now being diagnosed. While women are living longer after a diagnosis, the total number of deaths has also increased.

It has been argued that rising levels of obesity were behind the rise.

Cancer Research UK said the finding was "hugely troubling".

Cancer of the womb is the fourth most common cancer in women and tends to occur after the menopause.

From the 1970s to 1996 the incidence of womb cancer stayed roughly the same at about 13.7 cases for every 100,000 women in the UK. It now stands at 19.6 per 100,000, a 43% increase.

Survival rates have improved with 77% of women now living at least five years after treatment. However, deaths have gone up.

In the past decade the mortality rate has gone from 3.1 to 3.7 deaths from uterine cancer for every 100,000 women. In 2010, 1,937 women died from the cancer.

Prof Jonathan Ledermann, a gynaecological cancer expert at the charity, said: "It's hugely troubling that more women are dying from womb cancer, but we shouldn't let this cloud the fact that the chances of surviving the disease are still better than ever.

"This is due to better organisation of care for women's cancers and more widespread use of one-stop clinics for post-menopausal bleeding, as well as advances in the use of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy through clinical trials."

Rachael Gormley, from the World Cancer Research Fund, said: "Womb cancer is one of several types of cancer where there is strong evidence that obesity increases risk. Others include breast, bowel, oesophageal, pancreatic and kidney.

"As levels of obesity rise, we can expect the number of cancer cases to also increase.

"Taking steps to avoid becoming obese, such as eating a healthy diet and being active each day, is one of the most important things we can do to reduce our risk of cancer."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17609674

Down-There News You Need Right Now

Four crucial updates you've just gotta have before your next gyno visit

Rennie Solis

 

Your yearly visit to the gynecologist is critical to your health—period. What's also key: going in with a list of specific questions, so your gyno can tailor her recommendations to your needs, says Jill Maura Rabin, MD, a spokeswoman for the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. To get more out of your time in the stirrups, consider discussing these important findings with your doc.

Update #1: New relief for heavy periods

If you have menorrhagia—periods so heavy and painful they interfere with daily life—your gyno may have suggested going on the Pill or taking some other hormonal medication. If that didn't work, your only other option was surgery, from endometrial ablation (which destroys the uterine lining) to a hysterectomy (total removal of the uterus). Now there's a new nonhormonal way to lighten the flow: tranexamic acid, a prescription drug that works by stabilizing a protein that helps blood to clot. While the drug does carry a risk of side effects, such as unwanted clotting, Dr. Rabin says it's "a great option for women who can't or don't want to take hormonal treatments."

Update #2: A surprise upside to hormone therapy

Talk about confusing: First, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) was hailed as a miracle drug that might not only ease menopause symptoms, such as hot flashes and insomnia, but also reduce the risk of osteoporosis and heart disease. Then the landmark Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study found that an HRT treatment of estrogen plus progestin increased the stroke and breast cancer risk in some women. But in April, a WHI report yielded some good news: For one group—postmenopausal women in their 50s who'd had a hysterectomy—taking an estrogen-only form of HRT for up to six years lowered the rate of breast cancer without increasing any other risks. If you're seeking relief from menopause, talk to your doctor about HRT's pros and cons—whether you still have your uterus or not.

Update #3: Beat fibroids without surgery

Rennie Solis

Fibroids—or benign tumors in the uterus—don't always cause symptoms. But for an unlucky minority, they can lead to heavy bleeding, pain, and even infertility. Hysterectomy is a traditional treatment for the condition, but a recent study shows that two less-invasive options preferred by patients can help them just as much. One, called uterine artery embolization, involves injecting particles into the arteries supplying blood to the fibroids to block them. The other, a focused ultrasound, heats and kills fibroid cells. "Though all treatments may not be suitable for all patients, they all lead to a significantly improved quality of life," says lead author Fiona Fennessy, MD, a radiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Update #4: You may need even more folic acid

Sure, you know you need folic acid right before and during pregnancy to help prevent neural-tube defects, such as spina bifida. Since 1996, many common foods, like breads and pastas, have been fortified with this B vitamin. But you still may not be getting enough. While fortification has cut spina bifida rates in half, "many women now miss out on fortified foods because they're cutting back on carbs," says OB-GYN Diana Ramos, MD, consultant to the March of Dimes. Even if you're a carb addict, she says, not all the folic acid from food is absorbed by your body—and you need it in your system at least a month before you conceive to reap the benefits. Play it safe by taking a multivitamin with at least 400 milligrams of folic acid even if you're not pregnant or trying (half of all pregnancies are unplanned!); bump it up to 600 milligrams if you are.

http://www.health.com/health/condition-article/0,,20489182_2,00.html