Archive for September, 2004

Hot Flashes Ignite Fort Smith, AR Audience

Thursday, September 23rd, 2004

September 23, 2004, Vol. II Issue 20

Dear Friends,

Twelve hundred real women clapping, laughing, cheering. What could bring on such a torrent of emotional fervor? What else, but the inherent humor in shared experiences unleashed. The experience, menopause, is not normally linked with words like hysterical fun. That is, until it’s set to music and looked at in the light of celebration. In fact, “Menopause the Musical,” while relating to this particular time of life, transcends it with its sheer celebration of womanhood and sisterhood.

I first wrote about “Menopause the Musical” in our July 1 issue and just experienced the phenomenon at Sparks Regional Medical Center’s annual Woman to Woman event in Fort Smith, Arkansas, so in this issue you get my personal review!

And, it’s National Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month, which made me think of Mary Marcdante, whose experiences with her mother’s ovarian cancer helped inspire her book, My Mother, My Friend, and I’m delighted to have her share a guest column.

Also, check out the link to the National Women’s Health Report on Gynecologic Cancers.  Better yet, sign up and get these reports delivered to your mailbox. They’re invaluable.

Synchronistically, (of course!) Jeanie Linders, the creator of “Menopause the Musical” told me that MTM is teaming up with the ovarian cancer associations and MTM will be doing a 40-city tour for them starting in March. To see if they’re coming to your city, look for more details in upcoming issues of FYWB.

Yours truly,
Barbara

Change, Change, Change . . . Change of Life

“I was in the hospital this afternoon, and I might have had a mini- stroke, but I checked myself out because I had to be here. I wasn’t going to miss this for anything in the world!” a participant at the back of the theatre told Jeanie Linders, creator of “Menopause the Musical.” “Laughter is the best medicine and that’s why I’m here,” she said. It’s those kind of experiences that feed Jeanie. As much as “Menopause the Musical” is a theatre production, it’s not about theatre, it’s about women, as Jeanie has always said.

From the moment the music starts, the tunes are familiar, the words are clever, and the message is hopeful: with a sense of humor, we (women) can get through anything, including night sweats, tropical hot flashes, distanced husbands, body issues and mother-daughter angst. And we do it best when shared with empathetic confidantes (female, of course).

“Menopause the Musical” (MTM) arrived in Fort Smith, Arkansas, last weekend as the featured program of The Women’s Center at Sparks annual Woman to Woman event. In addition to the day-long Friday event with shopping exhibits, lunch, awards and door prizes, the show alone was also offered Thursday evening and as a Saturday matinee, with all attracting almost capacity crowds.

The idea of bringing MTM to Woman to Woman, was sparked by an Advisory Board member, Judy Englehart, who saw MTM in Chicago and recruited a group from Sparks to experience the show in Kansas City. It struck a chord. “We had to have it,” said Rena LaRue, an Advisory Board Member, “I laughed until I cried. We all agreed we’ve got to do whatever it takes to bring this to Fort Smith.”

Visiting there this past weekend, I had the opportunity to meet Rena, and Anne Turner, Director of Community Events at Sparks, who handled all of the logistics, along with Carol Wood, RN, MS, Director of the Women’s Center, my initial contact at Sparks through our mutual affiliation with NAWH.

“4200 women a day go into menopause, as Carol told us,” Jeanie said in her remarks at the luncheon. “I wondered, do they have the weird sense of humor I have?” The hoops and hollers, and enthusiastic response I witnessed would indicate, “YES!” she’s hit a nerve.

Jeanie recalled asking her mother about menopause. Her mother’s response, “It took me ten years, while my head wasn’t connected to my body,” elicited sympathetic responses from the audience.

This was a new venue (teaming up with a hospital for a special event) for MTM, which has been playing in theatres around the U.S. and the world. The set-up was ideal as their performing arts center is right down the hall and attached to the convention center where the luncheon and exhibits were held. If this sounds like an intriguing idea to you, give me a call at 503-699-5031. We can set your community ablaze with the tropical hot flashing energy of MTM!

Transforming Fear into Power
by Mary Marcdante

Three months following my hysterectomy for cervical cancer and five years after my mother’s death from ovarian cancer, I called my insurance company to check on my claims. The young woman who answered the phone asked the required questions, reviewed my files and then said, “Oh, I had the same thing done last year, but I’m
only 25.”

Finding an unexpected kindred soul (I am one with myself and 43 with everyone else) and trying to keep myself calm about potential recurrences prior to my first post-surgical check-up, I asked her, “How were your three-month checkups?”

She said, “I haven’t gone. I should probably check back with my doctor but I’m afraid I’ll find out I have ‘it’ again.”

She sounded like the voice in my head. Pre- or post-diagnosis, so many women notice their physical symptoms and say, “I’m fine. It’s nothing,” or “I’ll watch it for a few weeks and if it’s still bothering me, I’ll call the doctor.” Time goes by and their fear and overscheduled lives put that call on the back burner until they can no longer ignore the pain. They visit their doctor (an average of nine months later according to one report) and get back test results that are positive for something they didn’t want to think about. Post-diagnosis or surgery, every ache and pain then begs the question, “What NOW?!” “Is it back?” “Did they get it all?”

Who wouldn’t be scared? We talked a bit longer and by the end of our phone call I had a promise from her that she would call her doctor and make an appointment in the next week.

Thinking back on that call through the years, I wish I’d been more proactive that day by getting her name and calling her back to check on her. Her fear was apparent and clearly she didn’t have the self-trust or support she needed – or didn’t know how to ask for the support – to take better care of herself. I wondered if her doctor’s office had been in touch. Had they sent a postcard for a return visit? Made a phone call? Checked to see why she hadn’t come back? I wondered if the women in her family, her friends or her co-workers knew enough to help her or if they had tried and given up, forgotten about it and moved on, as she was clearly trying to do.

I’m eight years older since that call (still one with myself and now 51), grateful to be healthy and wiser. My biggest discoveries upon reflection? Three:

1) It often isn’t until pain outweighs fear that women, with or without cancer, take positive action on behalf of their health.

2) Managing fear is at the heart and soul of a healthy woman.

3) One of the greatest gifts and responsibilities we bring to women’s health as advocates is helping women transform their fear into power and immediate positive action.

* * * * * * * *

Mary Marcdante is the author of Living with Enthusiasm and My Mother, My Friend. Her program, “Let Your Laughing Heart Lead the Way” inspires women to transform negative emotions including fear and sadness into joy, laughter, and positive action. For more information about bringing Mary to your event, call me at 503-699-5031 or email me — barbara@speakwellbeing.com

Behind the Scenes

Run, don’t walk, to see MTM if it’s anywhere in your vicinity. Grab some girlfriends and go, whatever your age. If it’s not in your neighborhood, go to the website and order the CD. I guarantee that this CD will get you through any traffic jam. You could even get out of your car with a little choreography to “Stayin Awake, Stayin Awake” and make everybody’s stalled commute a little lighter.

When I decided to go on my field trip to see MTM in Fort Smith, I knew instinctively, it had to be a girlfriend “thing,” so I called a college girlfriend, Karen, and asked her if she’d like to join me for a reunion. She agreed. Life is short. Live it. Love it. Share it with a girlfriend.

Until next time, be good to yourself, for your well being and those you love.

Yours truly,
Barbara

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ABOUT OUR SERVICES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My vision for The Speak Well Being Group is to be a connector for speakers I know, love and believe in, with the audiences who will be inspired, motivated, and transformed by their perspectives, knowledge, empathy, compassion, information and, most importantly, capacity to enjoy the process, laughing at themselves and with you along the way.

You’ll find many of our speakers on our website.

http://www.SpeakWellBeing.com

Or please call anytime and let us assist you: 503-699-5031
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Lighten Up to Wellness

Thursday, September 9th, 2004

September 9, 2004, Vol. II Issue 19

Dear Friends,

I just returned from an extended Labor Day Weekend camping in the Olympic Peninsula in Washington with my fiancé. The Olympic National Park lived up to its reputation for awesome scenery including glacier-covered peaks, breathtaking shorelines and incredible rain forests. There was so much to discover, I can’t wait to go back. While it was great to be away for a few days, I was happy to come home and get back to work on all of the exciting things that are coming up.

And that includes my new website which I hope will debut by the end of the year. Planning a website, as many of you know, can be a huge job. I’m pleased to feature in this issue another “new” speaker you’ll find on the new website. Sandy Queen has been a presenter at the National Wellness conference for the past twenty-four years. Now that’s what I call comeback power!

Female physicians are in the spotlight at a national exhibit, and more good news (mostly), as chocolate makes the health headlines again.

Yours truly,
Barbara

Speaker Spotlight: Sandy Queen

If you asked NWI participants, they would tell you that what Sandy Queen is most known for, besides emceeing the annual talent “extravaganza,” is her opening humor session to prepare participants for their “week of wellness.” As it is at any conference, it’s easy to get caught up in the intensity of the week. Sandy’s opening session helps people lighten up and look at the week from not only a professional, clinical, information- gathering focus, but from a personal, empowering, growth-enhancing perspective.

When Sandy started out at NWI, she was one of the few people who did anything with a focus on wellness for children and youth. Her workshops on creating wellness programs for schools along with her book Wellness for Children: A Programming Guide garnered her a solid reputation in the field of educational wellness.

Sandy still works in that field, seeing some 50,000 young people yearly through her work with schools and leadership groups. “Wellness for youth,” she says, “is more than rules on eating, exercising or avoiding drugs.

“I believe that if we are ever going to stem the tide of high risk behaviors in our youth, we need to deal with positive, leadership skills to empower young people to develop their own individuality rather than programs focused on the negative ‘don’t’ (smoke, drink, drug) which has done little to change behaviors.” Sandy also works with parents, serving, as a “liaison” between the kids and their parents.

“How many of you are parents? How many of you remember what a great parent you were . . . before you had your first child,” she quips.

In any arena, Sandy is most known for her ability to take serious subjects and turn them into rib-tickling views of daily life. As she pokes fun at the foibles of being human, people see themselves and laugh at themselves, while gaining insights into their own efforts to resolve issues of who they are vs. who they want to be.

I know because I sat in the audience of a standing room only program last year as we belly-laughed our way through the frustrations and peculiarities of mid-life transitions into what Sandy refers to as the years of “Zest-full Potential.” She’s a perfect “Ladies Night Out” speaker for the times when you want your audience to enjoy themselves immensely.

She is also as sensitive as they come when it comes to handling a challenge. On September 11, 2001, Sandy was presenting the first day of a new two-day program for creative thinking for Arlington County employees, including half of all fire and rescue workers. She was about two miles from the Pentagon when she began her presentation at 9:42 that morning. The only thing she had been told was that “a helicopter crashed at the Pentagon, and a plane hit the World Trade Center.”

Knowing that there would be some fallout (but never imagining the extent of it) Sandy felt that being “funny” was probably not appropriate in this situation. So the opening question was, “What is important to you?” and for the 12 or so minutes before the full impact of the events became apparent as all the fire and rescue workers were called out, she spoke to her audience in a light but serious way about the importance of our children, grandchildren and each other.

When they re-convened in December, the one thing that folks said helped them get through the day was the time of laughter and sharing they had had with Sandy that morning. One woman whose husband worked at Ground Zero at the Pentagon, reported that the one thing that kept her going throughout those long agonizing hours until she found out that her husband had survived, was a story Sandy told that morning that had left her laughing.

Being a humorist after September 11 was not an easy task, but as Sandy says, “if they are able to take our laughter, they truly do win.”

Sandy Queen is a contributing author to the Wise Women series of books published by Fern Carness and has put together a journal/workshop guide for women, Reflections on Women Becoming. There will be more in-depth information on our new website about her topics for Seniors, “Thirty Dirty Lies About Being Old;” Women, “You Don’t Have to Be A Superwoman to be a Super Woman;” Parenting, “How to be a Parent and a Human, Too;” and Humor, “Lighten Up.” Meantime, if you have questions about Sandy and her programs, please give me a call at 503-699-0531 or email me — barbara@speakwellbeing.com

Changing the Face of Medicine Exhibit

Want to be inspired? The National Library of Medicine (NLM) in Bethesda, Maryland, has a first-class exhibit celebrating women pioneers in medicine. The project was the result of the National Institutes of Health Office of Research on Women’s Health and the American Medical Women’s Association. It pulls together historical and current themes with delightful visuals and fascinating content. The featured individuals provide an intriguing glimpse of the broader community of women doctors who are making a difference.

The coolest thing is that you don’t even have to go to Bethesda to experience it. From the comfort of your office, you can visit the exhibit including many interesting, well-produced video clips, with the ladies narrating their stories. A couple of names you might recognize are Dr. Nancy Snyderman and Dr. Vivian W. Pinn. Check it all out at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/changingthefaceofmedicine/index.html

NLM, which began quite humbly, on the campus of the National Institutes of Health, is the world’s largest medical library. The Library materials and provides information and research services in all areas of biomedicine and healthcare.

Dark Chocolate for the Love of It

When my friend Jane visited me last month, she brought me a couple of bars of my favorite kind of chocolate, 70% cocoa, strong dark chocolate. This particular brand of Belgian chocolate, Chocolove X O X O X, even comes with a love poem in the wrapper. Just to prove how good it really is, I must tell you that you can purchase it in health food stores. Or check it out at http://www.chocolove.com

The best news, however, is that I had just clipped an article with a dateline from Munich, Germany, announcing that scientists had found that eating dark chocolate appears to improve the function of important cells lining the wall of blood vessels for at least three hours.

The study involving 17 healthy young volunteers who agreed to eat a bar of dark chocolate and then get an ultrasound, found that eating the bar of dark chocolate seemed to make the blood vessels more flexible which helps prevent the hardening of the arteries that leads to heart attacks.

Unfortunately, the naysayers have noted that the weight gain from eating a lot of chocolate would probably cancel out the apparent benefit. Well, how about if we just have a bar as a meal replacement, my chocolate loving friends?

Until next time, be good to yourself, indulge in a bite of good dark chocolate for your well being and those you love.

Yours truly,
Barbara

=================================================================
ABOUT OUR SERVICES
=================================================================
My vision for The Speak Well Being Group is to be a connector for speakers I
know, love and believe in, with the audiences who will be inspired, motivated, and transformed by their perspectives, knowledge, empathy, compassion, information and, most importantly, capacity to enjoy the process, laughing at themselves and with you along the way.

You’ll find many of our speakers on our website.

http://www.SpeakWellBeing.com

Or please call anytime and let us assist you: 503-699-5031

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