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PAGE 14, OCTOBER 13, 2008, THE ISLANDER
(News to Q-CeCv
The Best is Yet to Be
By Clark Gillespie M.D.,
Professor Emeritus, the University of Arkansas
Mindfulness
“He lives just a short distance
from his body!” That lamentation is
sometimes used by friends who are
attempting to explain or to under
stand the emotional and physical
problems that beset those of us who
have not yet discovered the balm of
meditation.
This is not to say that such prob
lems only effect the un-instructed,
but that they are there much accen
tuated and increasingly consuming.
The ever- growing pressure of our
insatiable lifestyle and our continu
ous partial attention to actual living
(induced by cell phones, TV, texting
and more) and to our beings, is dam
aging and is unsustainable.
Instead of living within our bodies
during the moments when it - liv
ing - is happening, we tend to dwell
outside ourselves - upon immutable
past events and problems along with
an unknown future. So - we live
somewhat away from our bodies, and
often thereby do it decisional injus
tices and ourselves harm - all being
bolstered by toxic self-criticism.
Centuries ago the Buddhist monks
practiced various forms of medita
tion to foster clear thinking, compas
sionate understanding, living within
the moment, and many other aspects
of self-awareness. One of these prac
tices which does not, incidentally,
involve any religious associations,
was mindfulness.
This meditation goal has recently
been re-activated in our society - not
only for its personal healthful role,
but as an effective medical tool in
managing a diverse group of health
disorders. So much interest in mind
fulness meditation has now been
established that last year saw over
70 scientific articles written on that
subject.
So- what is mindfulness medita
tion? Well, to begin with, it culti
vates present moment awareness
and teaches us to avoid going on
auto-pilot while our life is going on
around us - or beside us.
We need to be with what is here
now, to be more deeply aware of
what we are now sensing. Thus we
will be living at and in each moment
and our decision making becomes
more informed and responsive, and
less driven by the habits of reaction
or by inattention.
Such meditative goals are achieved
in quiet isolation, standing, sitting,
or lying down. One begins by focus
ing on one’s breath and breathing
- and doing so with a meaningful
quality of awareness.
This focus and attention contin
ues and deepens to include other
senses and sensations, but always
maintaining a strong now-presence.
Remember that the goal is to main
tain awareness of living moment
by moment, and to disengage from
beliefs, passions and other thoughts
of the past which tend to lead us to
bad decisions.
In regard to the expanding role
that this meditation force may hold
in the practice of medicine, a paper in
the Journal of the American Medical
Association of September 17, 2008
largely deals with that potential.
So far, evidence has accumulat
ed which reveals its value in pain
reduction and control, the severity of
certain disease symptoms, physical
functioning, and ability to cope with
daily life. Moreover, the paper lists 9
potential areas of medical help and
comfort that mindfulness therapy
could be of worthwhile involvement.
A partial view of that listing
includes the decreased perception
of pain, reduction in stress, anxi
ety, or depression, diminished needs
for certain medications - such as
for pain, depression, etc., improved
adherence to medical treatment,
increased motivation for weight con
trol, smoking cessation, and physical
activity - and more.
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These are almost all suggested
areas for future study and work but,
again, present evidence indicates its
power in both acute and chronic pain
control and coping.
Anyone wishing to learn more
about mindfulness meditation can
at anytime attend a fascinating and
more or less continuous Google lec
ture on the internet by Jon Kabat-
Zinn, Ph.D., who has probably done
more than anyone else to rekindle
interest in this meditative practice.
Those of us who are not internet
friendly should get one of his books
on that subject.
It may seem incongruous to end
this column with a piece of poetry ,
but I am about to do it because the
message it provides fits us here so
well. The poem is written by Derek
Walcott, the 1992 Nobel Laureate in
Literature.
The time will come, when with
elation
You’ll greet yourself arriving at
your own door
In your own mirror each will smile
at the other’s welcome
And say sit here ,eat.
You will love again the stranger
who was yourself
Give wine, give bread, give back
your heart - to yourself
To the stranger who loved you all
your life
Who you have ignored for anoth
er
Take down the love-letters, the
photographs from the bookshelves,
the desperate notes,
Peel your own image from the
mirror
Sit, feast on your life. □
Glynn County Health Department set
to administer flu shots
No one likes being sick and hav
ing the flu is one of the worst kinds of
sick.
The Glynn County Health Depart
ment, located at 2747 Fourth Street in
Brunswick, will administer flu shots
from 8 a.m. — noon each day beginning
in October.
‘We want to make it as convenient
as possible for Glynn County resi
dents to protect themselves from the
flu,” said Karen Mikell, Glynn County
Nurse Manager. “Every year, flu kills
about 36,000 people in the United
States. It’s very important to get vac
cinated to protect yourself and those
around you.”
Influenza (flu) is a highly infectious
virus that causes high fever, muscle
aches, fatigue, and coughing. The best
way to prevent getting the flu is to get
a flu vaccination every year. The flu
shot is especially important for people
who are at high risk for flu complica
tions, including:
• Children ages 6 months to five
years
• Pregnant women
• Those 50 and older
• People of any age with certain
chronic medical conditions
• People who live in nursing homes
and other long-term care facilities
• People who live with or work with
those at high risk for flu complications
Medicaid and Medicare clients
should bring their insurance informa
tion. For those not covered by Medicaid
or Medicare, the cost is $25 for a flu
shot.
The Health Department is once
again offering FluMist ® nasal flu
vaccine. FluMist® is a non-invasive
inhalant that offers an alternative to
the traditional injection. FluMist® is
for healthy individuals from ages two
to 49.
The Health Department recom
mends that children also get the flu
vaccine since national data indicates
that the flu is often times transmit
ted from children to adults. Last year
in the United States 83 children died
from influenza. □
Tips on how to deal with migraines
• Understand that Migraine is a
real disease — not just a bad headache.
Migraine sufferers sometimes tend
to minimize their Migraines as “just
headaches,” not a disease with a range
of symptoms that are as debilitating as
the pain itself. Migraine is a real medi
cal condition just like diabetes or asth
ma. Understanding this will better
enable you to manage your Migraines
and seek effective treatment.
• Be your best advocate. Talk to a
doctor about your Migraines and how
best to manage them. There are many
effective new treatments specifically
for Migraine. The newest class of these
are called “triptans.” They relieve
Migraine pain quickly and also relieve
the other symptoms of Migraine such
as nausea and sensitivity to light and
sound.
• Make changes in your work envi
ronment that reduce your susceptibil
ity to migraine triggers. Ask co-work-
ers to go easy on perfume and cologne
— smells can be powerful triggers; ciga
rette smoke, too. Watch your caffeine
intake. Small doses of caffeine may help
treat a Migraine attack but large doses
of caffeine can bring on Migraine. Be
sure to drink a lot of water and don’t
skip meals. Use an anti-glare screen
on your computer — straining your eyes
can increase your chance of getting a
Migraine.
• Be on the alert for early signs
of migraine. Get to know your own
Migraine patterns so that you can spot
early signs of a Migraine attack. Some
people experience irritability, mild
pain or nausea that are signals that
a Migraine is about to hit. Whenever
possible, take your medication early.
• Educate your boss and co-workers
about migraine. This will create under
standing and awareness of migraines
and its impact can cultivate support
from the people you work with. □