WebMD slide show: 18 secrets to a longer life

click here:  WebMD

Mayo Clinic Research: Cancer vaccines: new approaches

Summary

Research into cancer vaccines has waxed and waned over the years, advancing more slowly than other types of immunotherapy research. Novel approaches are clearly needed. And that’s just what Mayo Clinic investigator Richard G. Vile, Ph.D., is bringing to the table, with ideas that are described as incredibly creative, original and even eccentric. The result is a cancer assassin — a precisely engineered vector that can slip into liver tumors undetected and deliver its genetic payload with minimal harm to the patient.

See more: Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale

Loving Unconditionally

This picture speaks to me. It says, loving unconditionally means we can choose to accept our differences and still be there for each other; sometimes love and support comes from unexpected places.

Source: CalmingYourInnerStorm

Learn to Dance in the Rain

Mayonnaise Jar & Two Beers… 

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 Beers.

A professor stood before his philosophy class with some items in front of him.

He picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls .

He  asked the students if the jar was full.  They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.

The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.

He  asked the students again if the jar was full.  They agreed it was.

He picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.  Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

He asked once more if the jar was full.. The students responded with a unanimous ‘yes.’

He then produced two Beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand.

The students laughed..

“Now,” said the professor as the laughter subsided, ‘I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.

The golf balls are the important things— your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions — and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job , your house and your car..

The sand is everything else—the small stuff.

‘If you put the sand into the jar first,’ he continued, ‘there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.

The same goes for life.  If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.

Spend time with your children;  your parents; Visit with grandparents; Take the love of your life out to dinner; remember how to Play.

There will always be time to clean the house, fix the disposal or deal with things from your job.

Take care of the golf balls first—the things that really matter; Set your priorities.  The rest is just sand.

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the Beer represented.

The professor smiled and said, ‘I’m glad you asked.’

The Beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of Beers with a friend.

LIFE ISN’T ABOUT WAITING FOR THE STORM TO PASS……….
IT’S LEARNING HOW TO DANCE IN THE RAIN

adapted from: college of business

Invitation to Intern

This year has begun with a bang. I’ve had three of my stories published so far, (RTS, Changes in Life)  and now an invitation to do some writing for BitchFlicks as an intern.  I will write monthly film reviews, increase their social media presence, do some research, and revamp their webpage.  All very interesting and exciting.

Here is my BitchFlicks intro:

Monday, January 23, 2012

Introduction

 Hello, Bitch Flicks readers. My name is Linda Silfies. I have been invited to intern with Bitch Flicks this semester, and am looking forward to this fabulous opportunity. I am a full-time, non-traditional student, at Georgia Southern University in my junior year as a writing and linguistics major, with a concentration in professional writing, and a minor in public relations.

I recently had my first story published in an online and print magazine called, Recovering The Self, which is a journal of hope and healing. My story contribution, titled, Free At Last, was in the area of abuse recovery. My personal goal is to write at least one book of hope and encouragement for abused women.

I also blog at Public Relations Writer, a site I developed, which offers inspiration, education and motivation on a variety of topics. My social media sites include FaceBook and Twitter.

When I am not taking classes, studying, doing homework, or working on my first book, I enjoy music, dancing and of course, movies. My favorite genre of movie would be the social drama—stories that depict a social problem or injustice, the human struggles involved and the outcome that either brings resolution or awareness, such as Lorenzo’s Oil, Philadelphia, Kramer vs. Kramer, and Titanic. I also enjoy good love stories—not sappy love stories, rather, those that show the heart and soul of humanity—commitment, friendship, romance, happy endings, and a little fantasy–movies that transport me to a world where anything can happen, and everything is good, such as Somewhere in Time, The Notebook, White Palace and Serendipity.

Movies have an amazing ability to take parts of everyday life and magnify them to illuminate, entertain, motivate and inspire. I love it when that happens. Meet me at the movies, won’t you?

Posted by Linda Silfies  ShareThis

Al Pacino’s inspirational speech

As I watched this clip, I see that sometimes, just as football players need inspiration and motivation to do their best, so do we in life.  Sometimes our circumstances get us down and put our backs to the wall. But, as Pacino says, it takes determination, commitment and teamwork to win.  The same can be said for life. I choose to have God as my team mate, and with Him on my side I can not only face the problems that weight me down, I will come out on the other side victorious; more than a conqueror, because He is with me.

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God Gave Me You

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When Death Stares You in the Face

By Linda Silfies

            When death stares you in the face, significant things happen that change your life.  The first thing that happens is that you stop taking life for granted.  I was brought back from the brink of death on several occasions.  You don’t have to take your last breath to be at the brink; the threat of death is enough to incite change.

            I have faced death at the hands of another; at the loss of  loved ones, through sickness, and for a fleeting moment when I thought the only way out of my hell, was to end it.

I remember that night many years ago, the night that for a brief, spontaneous moment, I saw the 16-wheeler barreling toward me; no one else was on the road, just he and I.  In that instant I thought, “I can steer my car head-on into him and it would be over in seconds—this deep, agonizing, inescapable hell of a life with an abusive husband–over.  This could be my escape—my only way of escape.”   But in the seconds before I would have had to make the move, I realized he may have had me fettered, but I would prevail.   I was not going to allow him to take anything more from me. He had already taken my youth, my dreams, happiness, self-esteem and self-worth. He was not also going to take my life also.

I allowed that 16-wheeler and all the other 16-wheelers in my life to pass me by.  It took years to find the way out, but I did, and the time spent waiting was not wasted. I grew stronger, wiser and more compassionate.   I learned what to look for to avoid future “mistakes.”  I discovered God and focused on getting to know Him.  I spent time learning to make healthy choices for myself—to allow myself to heal. I found ways to promote inner healing. When you are going through the fire, your only instinct is survival. I lived in survival mode most of my life.  It was time to come out—out into the sunshine of life; and allow the healing waters to wash over me.

Now that I am more than a decade free, I’ve had time to focus on my passions and purpose for being.  I love to write, listen to music and dance, but none of these activities satisfies the deepest longing of my soul.  For years I wrestled with the thought, how will I ever be able to fulfill my purpose if I do not know what my purpose is? I feared that at my journey’s end, if I had not fulfilled my purpose, my life will have been in vain.  My life has not been in vain; it has actually been in preparation for this very moment in time.  I am a multi-talented, passionate woman who knows more about life and how to live it now, than I ever would have had I not gone through all the fires I went through, and faced death as many times as I did.

When you’ve faced death, you realize who is important in your life, and you tell them; when you see the mistakes you’ve made, you apologize. When you see that you could have done better, you do better next time.  Everything you do has purpose; it is not to fill time or space.  For instance, when I marry again, it will not be for financial security, or out of loneliness—it will be to love unconditionally, with the highest level of love and commitment possible between two people.  It’s the place where God has taken me in my recovery.  He has shown me what it means to love someone to that degree, because He first loved me.

My passion is not to write words on a page. My passion is to write words that make a difference.  Many times as I was going through the fire, I wrote for solace. Things are different now. It is safe for me to look inside—to peer over the edge of my heart, to look into the depths and to marvel at the strength and tenacity within.  Writing gives me insight into where I’ve been and where I’m going.

My purpose no longer evades me like trying to catch a butterfly with a torn net.  Purpose has emerged from the ash heap of my life; to bring a glimmer of hope and sunshine into a world where pain, whether physical, emotional or mental, may be an everyday occurrence; where hope falters and dreams fade.

If I can leave you with one thing to hold on to, it would be this: Wherever you are, whatever you are going through, you are not alone, God is with you. He will bring you out unscathed. You will become stronger and wiser.  He will bless you with everything you need to succeed.  I know, because He did it for me.  “For I know the thought that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11.  He loves you unconditionally. He sees what you are going through. He cares. He will help—just ask.

Can curcumin slow cancer growth?

Source: Dr. Moynihan@MayoClinic

Question

Curcumin: Can it slow cancer growth?

Can curcumin slow cancer growth?

Answer

from Timothy J. Moynihan, M.D.

Curcumin, a substance found in the spice turmeric, has long been used in Asian medicine to treat maladies ranging from heartburn to arthritis. Now some research suggests that curcumin may help prevent or treat cancer.

Curcumin is thought to have antioxidant properties, which means it may decrease swelling and inflammation. It’s being explored as a cancer treatment because inflammation appears to play a role in cancer.

Laboratory and animal research suggests that curcumin may slow the spread of cancer and the growth of new tumor blood vessels. It may also cause cancer cells to die. In the lab, curcumin has been studied for use in treating or preventing a number of cancers, including colon, prostate and breast cancers.

Studies of curcumin in people are still in the early stages. Researchers are examining whether curcumin can reduce the risk of cancer in people with precancerous conditions. Curcumin is also being studied as a treatment for people with pancreatic cancer.

At this time, there isn’t enough evidence to recommend curcumin for preventing or treating cancer, but research is ongoing. As always, talk with your doctor before using any herbal supplement.

• Timothy J. Moynihan, M.D.

  Timothy Moynihan, M.D.

  ---

  “As a practicing medical oncologist, I meet with patients and families every day to help manage their course through this disease called cancer. This experience provides unique insight into the needs of cancer patients, their families and loved ones and brings into sharp focus the need for reliable information to be readily available in terms that can be easily understood.” — Dr. Timothy Moynihan

  Dr. Timothy Moynihan believes that providing consumers with accurate, timely information on the broad, complex topic of cancer is the biggest challenge facing medical websites. As the guiding force behind our cancer content, he makes sure Mayo Clinic meets the test.

  Dr. Moynihan, born in Las Vegas, N.M., and raised in Denver, is a consultant in medical oncology at Mayo Clinic and an associate professor at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minn. He’s board certified in internal medicine, medical oncology, and hospice and palliative care medicine.

  He did his medical oncology training at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, and then went on to the University of Minnesota and St. Paul Regions Medical Center for seven years before moving to Mayo Clinic in 1999. Dr. Moynihan is medical director of the Mayo Clinic hospice.

  Dr. Moynihan serves as the education chair for the Department of Oncology and the fellowship program director. Four times he has been selected as Teacher of the Year in medical oncology and elected to the Teacher of the Year Hall of Fame.

  Past honors include distinguished clinical teacher at the University of Minnesota Medical School, best internist at the Medical College of Wisconsin and recipient of the Upjohn Achievement Award for Excellence in Medicine. Dr. Moynihan serves on several national committees for the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

  “The Internet provides a ready source of information on a wide range of topics of interest to those affected by cancer,” Dr. Moynihan says. “The difficulty is trying to decide which sites provide reputable information and which information is relevant to each individual patient. The long history and tradition of excellence associated with Mayo Clinic assures you that information provided will be reliable, up-to-date and comprehensive.”

  (As a side note from the author of this blog, Curcumin or tumeric capsules are available at your local health food store, if this is something you would like to pursue.)

Published articles on abuse and abuse recovery

Three of my stories has been published this month in various magazines. The following link is one of the stories I wrote that the editor of Recover The Self, published on his blog.  http://www.recoveringself.com/guest-blogger/lying

Another of my stories, “Free at Last,” is in the Recover The Self Magazine, beginning on page 20, of this month’s issue, if you would like to read it. It is available  in print or Kindle; discounted on their website or through Amazon.     http://www.recoveringself.com/single-copy-sales 

Recovering The Self is a quarterly journal which explores the themes of recovery and healing through the lenses of poetry, memoir, opinion, essays, fiction, humor, art, media reviews and psycho-education.

The theme of Volume IV, Number 1 is “Abuse Recovery”. Inside, we explore physical, mental, social, and spiritual aspects of this and several other areas of concern including:
* Forgiveness
* Domestic Violence
* Relationships and Couples
* Grieving
* Substance Abuse
* Suicide
* Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
* Adult survivors of child abuse
* Modus Operandi Therapy
* Verbal Abuse  … and much more!

This issue’s contributors include: Jackie Friedrikson, Shaima Ahammed, Bonnie Spence, Sweta Srivastava Vikram, Linda Silfies, Kat Fasano-Nicotera, Candy Czernicki, Holli Kenley, Sam Vaknin, Eva Prohosky, Terri Forehand, Cathy Harris, Barbara Sinor, Maureen Minnehan Jones, Sharon Wallace, Tyler R. Tichelaar, Candide Massocki, Curtesa Richardson, Patricia Wellingham-Jones, and Christine Stark and others.

“I highly recommend a subscription to this journal, Recovering the Self, for professionals who are in the counseling profession or who deal with crisis situations. Readers involved with the healing process will also really enjoy this journal and feel inspired to continue on.
–Paige Lovitt for Reader Views

Visit us online at www.RecoveringSelf.com

Published by Loving Healing Press www.LovingHealing.com
Periodicals : Literary – Journal