I promised two weeks ago when I wrote Sunday Seven: Seven ways to fine-tune your health that I'd be back to offer seven more grand ideas for optimizing your physical and emotional well-being. Here I am, with a mini-list of suggestions I gathered a while back from a newspaper article. If you don't already practice these strategies, then why not give them a try.

Eat breakfast

It's the most important meal of the day -- really. A breakfast high in complex carbohydrates and protein creates energy. Energy kick-starts metabolism and helps our bodies burn fat. We all know what fat does. It weighs us down and contributes to all kinds of health problems.

Get your sleep

Sleep restores our bodies. Sleep-deprived folks secrete more leptin, a protein hormone that increases appetite. Larger appetites increase food consumption. Increased food consumption spikes the risk of obesity. And so on. You know the drill.

I was going to write a blog later in my series of blogs on toxins and stress and disease from the studies that I have been reading for the last month. But since a comment was made about stress and whether it has a correlation to disease to the previous blog I wrote on toxins and stress creating disease in our bodies, I will jump ahead and share some research I found on the relation of stress and disease. A relation to stress and disease has been researched by many doctors, psychologists, and medical research facilities and conclusions are that stress does several things to the body causing it to shut down in areas that can effect the body with disease and illness.

Do the common phrases, Tension Headache, Upset Stomach, Shaky Nerves, Tight Chest, ring a bell? Studies showed that work place stress has created an increase in heart disease and high blood pressure as well as making the body more susceptible to flu and viruses. It also has shown that stress can be related to Type 2 Diabetes as well as obesity. "Stress in general can disrupt the body's ability to process glucose, especially in people whose genetics make them vulnerable", said Richard Surwit of the Duke University Medical Center in a research article in the November/December issue of the journal Psychosomatic Medicine.

You can receive many benefits when you practice relaxation techniques. Some of these include lowering your blood pressure, reducing muscle tension, enhancing the immune system, better balance, improved memory and increased energy. It can also potentially improve concentration and cause you to be more efficient in daily activities.

1. Yoga -- is defined by Wikpedia -- its ultimate goal is the attainment of an eternal state of perfect consciousness. I find it to be a great relaxation technique to try. It really seemed to clear my mind by the breathing and concentrated movements. It brings yourself into a state of relaxation by blocking everything out and concentrating on what your body is doing.
2. Tai-Chi -- This type of relaxation technique is something that I have never tried. MayoClinc.com describes --Tai chi as a noncompetitive, self-paced system of gentle physical exercise. To do tai chi, you perform a defined series of postures or movements in a slow, graceful manner. Each movement or posture flows into the next without pausing.
3. Music -- We know how music can induce many emotions to surface. Emotions from the past for instance, can't some songs just bring you back to how you felt in that past moment? It makes sense to me that forms of music can calm and relax.
4. Exercise -- This relaxation technique can mean anything from cardio, weight training and low impact exercises. It really depends on the individual, some will get lots of stress relief when a training consists of higher impact workouts. Don't forget walking -- its one thing we can all try to do more of.
5. Meditation -- I'm no expert on meditation but I have listened to a few relaxation technique tapes after my breast cancer diagnoses. It seemed to help me relax. I never stuck with it though for some reason. I look at meditation as something that can be found in your own special way. I thought you had to just sit still and listen to music and try not to think -- not a very simple task as I'm sure we all know. I find a nice bath with a book and glass of wine as my form of mediation. You can find yours too.
6. Hypnosis --Again this type of relax technique is one that I have never experienced. It is said to be able to put a person into a deep relaxation stage very quickly and can relieve stress.
7. Massage -- This technique I'm happy to say that I indulge. Especially foot massages, it relaxes my whole body. Its a way to give yourself a much needed gift.

Remember before doing any exercises or relaxation techniques please talk to your doctor to make sure its safe -- especially if you have any medical conditions.

A plant-based diet plentiful in vegetables, fruits and whole grains, combined with stress management techniques, slowed or stopped the spread of prostate cancer, according to a pilot study conducted by University of California San Diego Moores Cancer Center researchers. A diet with less meat, dairy products and refined carbohydrates was encouraged.

During the six-month study, results found nine out of 10 men had a reduction in their prostate-specific antigen (PSA) rates.

To reduce stress, the study participants were taught meditation, yoga and tai chi exercises. When the six-month study was completed, four out of 10 men experienced an absolute reduction in their PSA levels. You can read the abstract concerning this study, Potential Attenuation of Disease Progression in Recurrent Prostate Cancer Progression With Plant-based Diet and Stress Reduction here. You can access the entire study for a fee.

Called a special edition with a bedside manner, Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects For Dummies, is a free book made available to cancer patients and their caregivers with advice and tips on managing the side effects of chemotherapy such as hair loss, nausea, and weakness.

According to Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, who is offering the book to those interested in receiving a copy, research indicates that while the use of current anti-nausea and vomiting treatments decreases the frequency and severity of side effects, 60 percent of patients still suffer from nausea and vomiting.

The aim of Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects For Dummies is to offer information about nutrition, meditation, support groups and other techniques that might help during treatment.

Written by a medical oncologist, a radiation oncologist, a supportive care nurse, physician and a cancer survivor, you can order your free copy of Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects For Dummies online here.

Deep within the pages of ancient texts detailing the remedies used by Chinese medicine practitioners, is there a cure for cancer waiting to be rediscovered? The global pharmaceutical company Merck thinks there might be a reference or two to natural cancer-fighting products used by healers then that is obscurely hidden and not known now in modern western medicine.

Merck has entered into a deal with Hong Kong's Chi-Med to look for evidence of promising products that the pharmaceutical company can research and test in clinical trials. According to the article Merck looks for ancient Chinese cancer cure written by Susie Mesure, "Western pharmaceutical companies are increasingly outsourcing their drug discovery work, with many looking east for the solution to medical mysteries that Western doctors cannot solve."

Traditional Chinese Medicine, TCM, is a practice of medicine that combines medicinal herbs, nutrition, meditation, massage, exercise and acupuncture with an applied philosophy in the harmonious balance of yin and yang for treating illness. In all fairness, because this system of medicine has developed over thousands of years, and my understanding limited by Western educational influence, the definition I have given is a very brief, and possibly incomplete, overview of TCM. If you are interested in learning more about TCM, begin by visiting Traditional Chinese Medicine at Wikipedia.

Chi-Med will be scanning information in a library of 10,000 natural substances for those that might hold potential in a cure for cancer. It will be interesting what they find.

University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center researchers have confirmed what more than a few cancer patients have personally believed for some time now. Stress increases cancer growth and finding ways to relax and reduce stress is beneficial to cancer survivorship.

In a preclinical study carried out on mice with ovarian cancer, researchers found that cancerous tumors grew and spread faster when the mice were experiencing increased levels of stress. According to the researchers, the conclusion of this study is the first definitive link between psychological stress and the biological processes that make ovarian tumors grow and spread. It appears stress hormones bind to receptors directly on tumor cells and, in turn, stimulate new blood vessel growth and other factors that lead to faster and more aggressive tumors.

"The concept of stress hormone receptors directly driving cancer growth is very new," said Dr. Anil Sood, the study's senior author. "Not much had been known about how often these receptors are expressed in cancer, and more importantly, whether they had any functional significance. Our research opens a new area of investigation."

The good news in this -- besides the fact that this study begins to validate what cancer survivors have been saying for years in the personal belief of the link between stress and cancer -- is that stress can be controlled and reduced by lifestyle changes and medication. In fact, the researchers found a beta blocker heart medication effectively blocked the adverse effect stress hormones had on tumor growth.

This could open new areas of research. Indeed, Dr. Sood and his team will continue to research the role of stress in cancer and examine the effects of stress hormones on cancers besides ovarian cancer. To read more about the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center preclinical study, go here.

Take it one day at a time.
Get a good cry one time.
Find someone to talk to, not talk to you.
Watch, listen to everything funny.
It ain't over.
Pray. -- Tips from the Trenches

Flying Colors is a community support center of The Memphis Cancer Foundation. If you live in the Memphis area, it sounds like an excellent place to visit and meet others facing cancer and surviving cancer who can help you learn techniques to regain control emotionally, psychologically, and physically.

They provide a lending library, one-on-one counseling and activities. However, if you don't live close enough to visit in person, the Flying Colors website offers a variety of information for cancer patients.

You can read Affirmations, add your name to the Chain of Hope, send e-Cards, meditate on the Mindless Meditations, join the Society for Silly Survivors, read Tips from the Trenches and survivors sharing poetry and stories. There's much more in wonderful content but this gives you an idea of what to expect when you visit the Flying Colors website. I got lost in there for a time. It's nicely done.

Federal Health Minister Tony Abbott announced that the government has contributed a $10 million dollar grant towards the new Olivia Newton-John Cancer Centre at Melbourne's Austin Hospital. Olivia Newton-John, a breast cancer survivor, believes in the need for a wellness center where cancer patients can find support, connect with other cancer patients, practice tai chi, do yoga, or receive a massage.

"Whatever spiritual belief you have, the mind has a very important role in healing. So if it is meditation, if it is prayer, if it is chanting -- whatever you believe -- as long as it is something you feel strongly about that can keep you in a positive spirit," Newton-John said.

The estimated cost for the new center is $50 million dollars in total. Olivia Newton-John has contributed $2 million dollars to the building fund, and can now add another $10 million dollars from the government grant. Olivia states that the total funds raised to date is about $25 million dollars, and she hopes work can begin in building the new center as early as 2008.

In the meantime, another project that reflects Olivia Newton-John's mind-body perspective on healing is the Gaia Retreat & Spa, located in Byron Bay near Bangalow, with its own sustainable organic vegetable and herb garden, orchard, and rainforest regeneration program. The Gaia Retreat & Spa describes itself as a place guests can renew, refresh, and restore mind, body and soul.

Diana Dyer was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a childhood cancer, when she was six months old. She was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 34. She was diagnosed with a second breast cancer ten years after the first. Each cancer was treated by conventional medicine and included combinations of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. But because her cancer kept returning, Diana realized that for her, something other then treatment was necessary to sustain her through a long life. So she considered a healthy recipe for living -- a blend of traditional medicine and alternative methods too -- and she implemented a holistic approach to healing into her personal world. She has not had a recurrence since 1995 -- and she credits this to the changes she's made in her life. She has tipped the scales in her favor, she believes, and she shares her approach with others who want to begin a journey toward recovery and healing after cancer.

weSPARK - an acronym for support, prevention, acceptance, recovery, knowledge -- was the cancer support center Wendie Jo Sperber wished she could have visited when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. A place more like home than a hospital. Sperber, a single mother, felt that the emotional challenges of cancer were more difficult than the physical ones. Four years after her breast cancer diagnosis, she opened the doors to a community-based recovery center that offered free holistic services designed to heal the mind, body and soul.

Sperber, an actress who starred in the television series Bosom Buddies, lost her life to breast cancer in 2004. In July, a second weSPARK center will open offering support groups for patient, family and friends, grief workshops, art classes, yoga, drum circles, teen drama groups and meditation. The dream of Wendie Jo Sperber in creating a place of warmth and comfort for others struggling to survive cancer continues.

How do you measure the ethereal? In an earlier post, I quoted Dr. Richard Sloan, a professor of behavioral medicine at Columbia and author of a forthcoming book, Blind Faith: The Unholy Alliance of Religion and Medicine, who I believe summed it up best when he stated, "The problem with studying religion scientifically is that you do violence to the phenomenon by reducing it to basic elements that can be quantified, and that makes for bad science and bad religion."

It doesn't seem to keep those intent on attempting to measuring the immeasurable and attempting to prove in physical world scientific terms that spirituality can play a powerful role in health and healing. Of course it can. Spirituality is a path to profound healing for those who are spiritual in nature. But it does not exclude healing from those who do not follow a spiritual path. The truest power rests in the power of belief itself on an internal landscape of the mind and body.

The John Templeton Foundation announced it is funding a new study at Michigan State University exploring the role spirituality plays in the recovery from breast cancer. I think that it will not matter the results of the study -- if it is positive it will reaffirm what the spiritual believe to be true and challenged by those who do not put much weight in the spiritual dimension of being. If it does not reveal a significant link between spirituality and healing, then the reverse dismissive rejection of the findings will be made.

Do I believe in the power of spirituality to heal? Yes. Do I believe it gives me an advantage to healing over those who do not share my beliefs? No. There are many paths leading to the same destination. The wisdom would be in acknowledging all paths as real and powerful. If we did that, we wouldn't need a study sure to bring nothing but more controversial debate with little possibility in the blending of hearts and minds between spirituality and science. 

I went to a yoga class once -- it was when I was bald from chemotherapy because I remember wearing my wig and hat and hoping desperately that nothing would topple off my head while I stretched and balanced and folded my body into various positions. My bald head did stay covered and I was able to depart from the class with my dignity intact -- but for some reason, I never went back for another yoga class. Perhaps it was the difficulty I had relaxing while trying to manage the security blanket that masked my bare head. If I ever have to do it again, I think I will leave my hair and hat at home so I can give my undivided attention to the yoga experience -- which is becoming more and more recognized for its healing power.

New findings from a pilot study reveal that women going through treatment for breast cancer feel better, sleep better, and have less fatigue when they practice yoga. Side effects of treatment also seem to fade as a result of this ancient discipline. Lorenzo Cohen, a psychologist, led researchers at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, and studied 61 women undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Thirty women were placed in a test group and took yoga twice per week for six weeks. The others did not take yoga. Once the study was complete, the participants completed questionnaires grading their physical abilities -- ability to lift groceries, walk a mile, and complete other physical tasks -- and also their feelings about fatigue, sense of well-being, and quality of life. The yoga group consistently scored higher on almost all physical components. No difference was found between the groups in the areas of depression or anxiety.

There is no doubt that exercise contributes to a healthy lifestyle in general. And it seems yoga is no different. Focused on meditation, imagery, controlled breathing, stretching, and physical movements, yoga is sure to benefit breast cancer patients. And I think I need to give it another try.

The life I touch for good will touch another life, and that in turn another, until who knows where the trembling stops or in what far place my touch will be felt. -- Frederick Buechner

I cannot name them by name or hold the image of their faces in my mind, because I do not know their names and I have not seen their faces. I do carry each of them in my grateful heart for every morning that I wake again. The research renegades and rebels of convention, the pioneers of radical thought and original perspective exploring unmapped microscopic territories, and the altruistic money movers and policy makers. Most of all, I am indebted in ways I may never be able to repay, to the women who volunteered for clinical trials and experimental treatments that may or may not have helped them live longer, but led to the current treatments that help me to live longer.

The number of lives who have touched my life are counted the same as the number of stars in the clear night sky, and I, in turn, now do what I can to touch the lives of others, others that will never know me by name or hold the image of my face in their mind, as part of the continuum and connection of the healing and the healed.

When faced with bladder cancer, I moved to the east coast to be near the ocean and I threw myself into writing music and playing every day. I had a mind set of death and I started doing it to leave behind a part of me in songs.  It soon became a therapy to me and when playing music, I felt less pain. To me it became a part of my every day therapy and a way to survive. I later found out that music, meditation, relaxation techniques, and stress reduction have proven to significantly enhance the power of the immune system. Some studies have found music therapy can also lower heart rate, blood pressure and breathing rate. Researchers say you don't have to have musical talents to benefit from music therapy.

Now, there is a growing trend of using music therapy to help cancer patients with impressive results. Anthony Back, M.D., an oncologist at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, says music therapy can offer relief for patients when used with standard cancer treatment. It can lessen nausea and vomiting from chemo, reduce pain, and help patients heal. A recent study shows music therapy reduced anxiety by 27 percent and moodiness by 37 percent. "Clearly, there's a special part of the brain that responds to music and that can take that in even if you're quite impaired in other ways," he says.

Music therapists are trained to counsel patients and find them the right music. Sha'ari Garfinkel, a music therapist at the Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, says, "The sound that's going to be most effective is something that is pleasing to the person that they like that's meaningful for them." While some patients prefer just to listen to music, others feel a sense of control by playing. So pop in a CD, download some old favorites into your ipod, turn on the radio, or pick up that favorite instrument, and create some music therapy for yourself.  It works.