healthy living An integrated approach to health
The Gawler Foundation Issue 1 | Winter 2009
healing and wellbeing
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Out of the abyss mindfulness coaching Managing MS: Are we forgetting something?
Advocating for a lifestyle approach Changing of the guard Latest research news Great vegan recipes Cancer cure rates on the improve
The Gawler Foundation magazine
An integrated approach to health healing and wellbeing
2009 Gawler Foundation Programs Residential Programs for Cancer, Multiple Sclerosis and other Illness Life and Living 10 day transformative program to meet and help overcome the challenges of cancer July: Monday 6 July - Thursday 16 July August: Monday 10 August - Thursday 20 August September-October: Monday 21 September - Thursday 1 October October-November: Monday 26 October - Thursday 5 November November-December: Monday 30 November - Thursday 10 December
Health, Healing and Beyond Five day follow up program for people who have completed Life and Living or Living Well, the 12 week cancer, healing and wellbeing program: Monday 14 September - Friday 18 September.
Healing Meditation Retreat 3 day retreat for people dealing with illness. July: Wednesday 1 July - Friday 3 July September: Friday 4 September - Sunday 6 September November: Monday 9 November - Wednesday 11 November
Taking Control of Multiple Sclerosis 5 day practical and inspirational program facilitated by Professor George Jelinek Monday 3 August - Friday 7 August
Residential Programs promoting Health and Wellbeing Weekend Meditation Retreat Weekend retreat facilitated by Paul and Maia Bedson July: Friday 24 July - Sunday 26 July October: Friday 16 October - Sunday 18 October (intensive for past participants only)
Living in Balance 5 day retreat facilitated by Paul and Maia Bedson June: Monday 22 June - Friday 26 June October: Monday 5 October - Friday 9 October
Rest and Rejuvenation 5 day retreat facilitated by The Gawler Foundation’s Therapeutic Team Monday 19 October - Friday 23 October
Pathways to Intimacy Weekend retreat facilitated by Paul and Maia Bedson Friday 12 June - Sunday 14 June 2009 program guide continued on page 23
From the CEO Welcome to the first edition of our revamped Healthy Living magazine. We’ve decided to launch this new, expanded version of our old newsletter in order to provide you with more information and articles to help you on your healing journey. Since the Foundation began in the early eighties, there has always been a tremendous amount of information flowing into the place from our staff, supporters and program participants. We feel the time is right to harness this flow of information, pick the eyes out of it and provide you with not only the very latest research news from around the world, the personal experiences of program participants and the latest from all that is happening here at The Gawler Foundation. There will be regular features and we encourage you to write in and become involved in the magazine so you can add your own chapter and verse to The Gawler Foundation story. This edition heralds somewhat of a change in the organisation’s history, with the appointment of a new Therapeutic Director to take over from our Founder, Ian Gawler. Ian has worked tirelessly to help many thousands of people dealing with cancer and other serious illness since 1981. The Therapeutic Director’s role demands a lot in terms of administration and Ian has decided after nearly 30 years in the role to take a step back. For this year at least he will still be involved in delivering our programs. We are pleased to announce that Helen Nikolas has been appointed to the position of Therapeutic Director. Helen comes to us as a well qualified and practiced leader and therapist. She holds a BSc in Dietetics and is an Accredited Practicing Dietitian. She has a Masters in Primary Health Care and a Doctor of Public Health (current). Helen is a Tai Chi instructor, a registered Massage therapist and is a Fellow of the Australian College of Health Service Executives. She has held senior roles with a variety of organisations including the Royal Adelaide Hospital and the Health Promotion Strategy unit with the Northern Territory Government. You can read all about her appointment on page 7. We hope you enjoy our new magazine and we thank you for your continued support of our work.
Karin Knoester
The Gawler Foundation is a not for profit organisation committed to an integrated approach to health, healing and wellbeing that includes the body, emotions, mind and spirit. Our mission is to work within an integrative medical framework to provide access to the best possible instruction and support for the implementation of self-help techniques for people experiencing cancer, MS or other serious illness.
Directors of the Board Irene Goonan, President Ray Cummings, Treasurer Alistair Bennallack Malcolm Broomhead Professor Avni Sali Karin Knoester, CEO
The Gawler Foundation 55 Rayner Court PO Box 77 Yarra Junction VIC 3797 Phone Fax Email Web
(03) 5967 1730 (03) 5967 1715 info@gawler.org www.gawler.org
ABN 79 160 595 251
Editorial Editor Dave Walker media@gawler.org
Editorial committee Paul Bedson (Senior Therapist) paul@gawler.org
Sherelle Dye (Research Officer) sherelle@gawler.org
Stephanie Kemp (Fundraising managerM steff@gawler.org
Christine Johnson (Community Relations) cej@bigpond.net.au
Membership and subscriptions Sue Skinner
sue@gawler.org The contents of this magazine do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Gawler Foundation and should not be construed as medical advice. The Gawler Foundation accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of any of the opinions, advice, representations or information contained in this publication. The Gawler Foundation encourages readers to be discerning with information presented and when making treatment, dietary and lifestyle choices. (Printed on 100% recycled enviro paper)
About a week into the ten day residential Life and Living program I texted home:
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Awake at five so excited about the day. I know I am going to live. I have looked into the great festering abyss and realised that it is in the past and doesn’t exist! It has left a legacy in my present but each thing can be easily dealt with. I am completely and utterly free.
By Kelvin Wright It’s not that this program changed my life. Cancer changed my life, but The Gawler Foundation shaped and focused the changes and showed me where I might pick up the tools to build a future with. The program is non-religious but is founded squarely on the practice of mindfulness meditation. The first activity of the day following the wake up bell and the daily tot of lemon juice and water, was 45 minutes in the sanctuary being gently led into silence. The aim of mindfulness is to be quiet: quiet in body mind and spirit. Quiet but not asleep or in any sort of trance. Quiet but alert and aware of the now, undistracted by thinking or imagining or fretting or scheming. Dont just do something, sit there! It sounds easy but it’s not. The chattering machine between my ears takes some subduing.Or rather, some ignoring. The self doesn’t like being told it is surplus to requirements and sidelined. I come up with all manner of devices to subvert myself, but we are instructed well. The phrases used in our guidance quickly become catch-phrases in the jokes of the 32 of us on the course: ...softening, loosening, letting go... ...let it come when it’s ready and go when it’s ready.... ...that’s good.... And there are a lot of jokes. Cancer is the nice person’s disease. We are type C personalities every last man Jack and woman Jill of us. We survive by mediating and putting our own interests last. We kill ourselves with kindness. And here we are a congenial group; shy at first but forming deep bonds as the days progress. Everyone has a story of the progress of their disease. Everyone has a story of the trauma which has led their body to react in this way. Many have lost their hair. I sit at lunch and wake from a personal reverie to find my five women table companions are discussing breast reconstruction in
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quite intimate detail. These are not victims. These are all people who have also looked into the abyss, and given it the two fingered salute. Mindfulness also shapes the other great pillar of the program - food. We eat fresh vital food; delicious and plentiful. We are not just being fed in the dining room, we are being taught. We are being coached into mindfulness: being present with what we eat: knowing what is in the food and what it is doing to us. Being encouraged away from the laziness and the habits which lead us to ingest the things which in all likelihood have contributed to our illness. Before every meal the chef, Gail Lazenbury, teaches us what is in it and how it was prepared. She is a huge personality, who, not so long ago, was a belly dancer. Her hands still dance as she talks and so do her words. We listen and laugh. The days are long, but feel unhurried. We stop every hour or so for juice, and some of the instruction is aimed at getting us moving. I learn about Qigong and breathing and energy. Every afternoon there is a lengthy break and I use it to go walking. Evening sessions are often a bit lighter: perhaps a film or a discussion, but I find myself going to bed early to allow my mind to assimilate the day’s learnings through sleep. There are six people who operate a sort of tag team in teaching us. In most of what is taught there is the thread of mindfulness: in dealing with our emotions and life patterns; in knowing exactly what our disease is and how it develops; in knowing the medical profession and what it can offer us, and what it cannot; in taking charge of our own lives and establishing patterns that build life not death. Of course, the overriding personality in all this is Ian Gawler. His own remarkable struggle with cancer is recorded in his book You Can Conquer Cancer, and we hear it again, in more detail. He is a tall skinny guy with crutches. His strong will is evident in all of the details of the place, as is indeed his name, but he is curiously unassuming. He smiles a lot and laughs at his own expense. The staff treat each other with mutual respect and kindness, modelling the sort of mindful self awareness
Out of the abyss
they are hoping we will establish for ourselves. In two weeks I don’t hear any of them personally condemn anybody, not even those whose opinions run counter to all the Foundation stands for.
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The staff treat each other with mutual respect and kindness, modelling the sort of mindful self awareness they are hoping we will establish for ourselves. Ian Gawler invites us to research what he tells us, and encourages mindfulness: alert, aware questioning of all that anybody (including himself) tells us. The kaftan isn’t about setting himself up as a guru; it’s about finding the most comfortable clothing possible for a one legged man living in the Australian heat. A week in and several things have gelled for me. I have begun to consolidate and refine the routines I had established before coming to Australia.
I had hoped to strengthen my meditation practice and now the parts of the day I most look forward to are the times in the sanctuary. I know it hasn’t been long, but now that I am back home I am managing to continue the routine of an hour and a half a day of mindful silence. Clemency and I are fine tuning our diet and making plans about preserving the integrity of what we eat when we go overseas in a few weeks.
The Ven. Dr. Kelvin Wright has been Vicar of St John’s Roslyn since January 1999. He grew up in Dunedin, Lower Hutt and Christchurch and was trained for the Anglican priesthood in Auckland. He was ordained in 1979. He holds degrees from the Universities of Canterbury and Otago and a Doctorate of Ministry from the San Francisco Theological Seminary. Before coming to Dunedin he worked in the Christchurch and Waikato dioceses. He is married to Clemency and has three children. He participated in The Gawler Foundation’s 10 day Life and Living Program in March 2009. Visit his blog at www.vendr.blogspot.com healthyliving - The Gawler Foundation magazine 5
Changing of the guard By Dr Ian Gawler OAM
In 1981, I had this bright idea of setting up a lifestyle based, self help support group. By September, a 12 week program was developed and five days before it was scheduled to start it occurred to me - how to let people know it was on? A phone call to the Melbourne Age, and brief chat with the medical reporter resulted in an article appearing on the front page of the Saturday Age and as they say, the rest is history. So here we are in 2009 with me stepping down as the Therapeutic Director of an organisation that has around 50 staff and has helped many thousands of people. I think of all the great therapists I have worked with and the exceptional team I work with now. The many board members that have come and gone, hundreds of other staff and volunteers. The Gawler Foundation really has matured. For many years it may have appeared that I was essential to the Foundation. Now it is time for the Foundation to stand in its own right, happy in the history of my involvement but more independent of my actual presence. The knowledge that I have helped to compile the Q: Tell us a little about your background. A: My original profession is dietitian. I have a variety of experience in the UK, Canada and Australia in clinical dietetics, food services and community work in hospitals, long term care settings and in prisons. I also have about 5 years experience in and a passion for health promotion, with a holistic view of health and what contributes to good health and wellbeing. In the late eighties I developed an interest in wellness, setting up a company in Canada including Tai Chi, massage, meditation, counselling and humour, working with individuals and organisations. At that time it provided a positive balance to my daily work with people who had severe dementia. Q: Why were you attracted to this position? A: When I read the advert in the paper I think my heart jumped a little. I saw a role that combined my knowledge and experience in health care with my history and belief that meditation and spirituality have a strong connection to health and wellbeing. To bring that side of myself and those values into my daily work is an absolute gift. I feel humbled at
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variety of programs and our style of facilitating groups all combine to be what The Gawler Foundation does and what we represent. This can be carried on by others and is essential to the ongoing life of the Foundation.
For the last couple of years I have been working with the board and staff to enable me to smoothly transition into retirement in a way that supports the ongoing future of The Gawler Foundation. After nearly 30 years in the job it is time to take a breather in order to give more time to more spiritual practice and to leave space in my life for what comes next. To this end we have appointed a new Therapeutic Director, Helen Nikolas. Helen comes with an ideal background for the position. She is currently completing a doctorate in public health and is a dietitian, therapist, Tai Chi teacher, and administrator of note. While there is no doubt she is stepping into a challenging shoe, I am confident she is the ideal person to help guide the Foundation through this next phase. The Foundation will benefit from fresh input and both the stability and change I expect Helen to bring.
Q&A
For the first few months Helen and I will work closely
With The Gawler Foundation’s new Therapeutic Director Helen Nikolas
the opportunity to learn from Ian and to work with people who really do make a difference in the lives of others. Q: What challenges do you expect to face? A: For me the first challenge will be a steep learning curve; absorbing all the good work that is currently done. I am really looking forward to that. For us all we will have the challenge of creating a team with a new dynamic and working together to see what
together through the transition period. The plan is for me to work a little less before retiring fully at the end of March, 2010. Ruth will continue to work on with the Foundation as a therapist and I will have a year away from all work before reconsidering what to do after that. It is hard to imagine not doing something along the lines I do now, but the truth is I am not thinking about it, preferring to leave things open, create a space, meditate and see what eventuates. There is a need to thank many, many people for supporting me and making it possible to provide the service that The Gawler Foundation has done and continues to do. My sense is that the potential for the Foundation to flourish is very real, but for that it will need active support from the board, volunteers, staff, members and the public. I hope you will all continue to contribute to The opportunities there are to build on the work of the Foundation. People who attend our programs will get the opportunity to know me, the new face in the organisation. Q. Where do you hail from and where in the world have you worked? A: I have been described a world citizen. I was born and educated in the north of England but then lived most of my significant life in Alberta Canada. I came to Australia in 1999 on a temporary work visa and stayed. Since being in Australia I have lived and worked in South Australia, the Northern Territory and now Victoria, all of which I have loved and wouldn’t give up. Q. Do you have any pets? A: Yes, my two ‘girls’. I adpoted them two and a half years ago when I moved to the Peninsula. George was a tiny feral kitty, she’s still a black and white fluff ball, and Kyla is an adult lab/kelpie cross.who is so black that I lose her in the dark. They both love to cuddle and are a great stress reliever.
Gawler Foundation’s future and benefit from its services. Ian is the Founder of The Gawler Foundation.
Q. what do you like to do when you are not working? A: My work life has tended to be full so I like to sit and watch the ocean or the trees and birds in my garden and just breathe. I take a lot of photos, mostly of patterns in nature. I’m a visual artist and musician so that takes some time. My ‘girls’ use up a lot of my attention and of course if I don’t walk Kyla regularly we both gain weight! I’m not a gardener but I find pruning very meditative. Oh and travelling, but these days that is usually combined with work, the arts or a speaking engagement. Q. What is your secret ambition? A: I have a strong interest in healthy workplaces as well as arts in health. I’d like to develop a way to create healthy and empowering organisations using the arts. Q: Anything else you would like to tell us? A: I’m thrilled at this opportunity. Whoever I have spoken to thinks highly of Ian and the work done by everyone at the Foundation.
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Cancer cure rates on the Dr Sherelle Dye BMus(Hons) BLitt(Hons) MPsych(Clinical) PhD Research Officer, The Gawler Foundation
Abstract The word ‘cure’ has been used cautiously in the past to describe cancers that are in remission. However, as early diagnosis and treatment have steadily improved, increased numbers of people in whom tumours have been eradicated are now expected to live as long as the general population and, subsequently, to die of causes other than cancer. Research published recently in the European Journal of Cancer (April 2009) has investigated these improved cure rates, with encouraging findings.
Introduction and 5-year survival Although survival rates vary for different types of cancer, overall improvements have been observed in recent decades. For example, Verdecchia and colleagues analysed data collected by 49 cancer registries in 18 European countries from 1988 to 1999.(1) They reported that 5-year, age-adjusted survival rates had improved for prostate (from 58% to 79%), colon and rectum (from 48% to 54%) and breast cancer (from 74% to 83%). Improvements were also significant for stomach (from 22% to 24%), skin melanoma (from 78% to 83%), Hodgkin disease (from 77% to 83%), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (from 49% to 56%), leukaemias (from 37% to 42%) and for all cancers combined (from 34% to 39% in men, and from 52% to 59% in women). They attributed these improvements to increased screening, earlier diagnosis and advanced treatment techniques, especially in less affluent countries who had made efforts to adopt the new diagnostic procedures and standardised therapeutic protocols used in other countries.
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Although heartened by these findings, Francisci and colleagues noted that classic survival indicators do not distinguish between patients who are considered cured (and thus have comparable life expectancy to the rest of the population) and those who will die of their disease. Further, they do not account for leadtime bias, where there is an earlier diagnosis of the disease but no improvement in life expectancy.(2) The research team therefore reanalysed the data, dividing study participants into two groups: those who were expected to die from their disease, and those who were considered ‘cured’ and likely to die from another cause.
Improvements in cure rates Comparing results for the periods from 1988 to 1990 and 1997 to 1999, findings varied across different countries. To summarise, the proportion of cured patients ranged from about 4% to 13% for lung cancer, from 9% to 30% for stomach cancer, from 25% to 49% for colon and rectum cancer, and from 55% to 73% for breast cancer. For all cancers combined, estimates varied between 21% and 47% in men, and 38% and 59% in women and were influenced by the distribution of cases by cancer site. Variations between countries appeared to be largely, but not exclusively, associated with health expenditure and the percentage of total cancers in each nation. Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Finland generally achieved the highest rates of overall cancer survival, while Poland and the Czech Republic had less favourable outcomes. Distinct patterns were also noted for gender, with women generally experiencing longer survival. Micheli and colleagues further investigated these gender differences and concluded that for 15 different cancer sites (salivary glands, head and neck, oesophagus, stomach, colon and rectum,
Annual conference World leaders in the field of Mind-Body medicine will come together at The Hilton on the Park in Melbourne on Saturday 14 November and Sunday 16 November 2009 for The Gawler Foundation’s annual ‘Profound Healing - Sustainable Wellbeing’ conference. The conference features a diverse range of practical knowledge and expertise for health professionals and consumers.
improve pancreas, lung, pleura, bone, melanoma of skin, kidney, brain, thyroid, Hodgkin disease and nonHodgkin’s lymphoma) the female advantage was independent of age and country.(3) Although age at diagnosis was an initial factor, as women tended to seek medical attention and have their cancer detected at an earlier stage than men, this difference decreased with age and become negligible in the elderly. The authors postulated that sex hormone patterns may have a role in women’s superior ability to cope with cancer.
You will not only be enlightened by speakers at the threshold, you’ll gain access to knowledge at the forefront of research findings through fascinating keynote speakers and series of interactive workshops. Participating in the workshops will enable you to cover a wide range of topics and learn critical factors that can make a difference to your health and life and those of your patients. Reserve your place by calling The Gawler Foundation on (03) 5967 1730
Fundraising
Summary and Conclusion Drawing on European data predominantly collected in the 1990s, cure rates for many types of cancer have significantly increased. These changes are largely associated with improved diagnosis and treatment techniques, and differences regarding socio-economic status and gender have also been detected. As screening programs and public awareness of cancer have continued to develop over the past decade, earlier detection of tumours is likely to help increase cure rates further in the future. Increased health expenditure and improved treatments should also make a significant impact on what was once often considered an incurable disease. References 1. Verdecchia A, Guzzinati S, Francisci S, et al. Surivial trends in European cancer patients diagnosed from 1988 to 1999. Eur J Cancer 2009;45:1042-1066. 2. Francisci S, Capocaccia R, Grande E, et al. The cure of cancer: A European perspective. Eur J Cancer 2009;45:10671079. 3. Micheli A, Ciampichini R, Oberaigner W, et al. The advantage of women in cancer survival: An analysis of EUROCARE-4 data. Eur J Cancer 2009;45:1017-1027. Address for Correspondence Dr Sherelle Dye, Research Officer, The Gawler Foundation, PO Box 77, Yarra Junction VIC 3797. Telephone: +61 3 5967 1730. Email: sherelle@gawler.org
Open Day Women’s retreat
Advocating for a lifestyle approach By Dave Walker An important component of The Gawler Foundation’s work is our emphasis on outreach programs, designed to improve both the quantity and quality of life for people dealing with cancer. The flagship of these outreach programs is Living Well, our 12 week Cancer Healing and Wellbeing program. Through the assistance of bursaries we are continuing to expand Living Well throughout 2009 with a focus on people who hold Healthcare cards. These heavily subsidised programs enable us to offer the entire 12 week course at a cost of only $35, a fraction of the normal fee. A diagnosis of cancer is always a challenge, a challenge which is often exacerbated when people are struggling financially. The opportunity to offer these programs at a minimal cost to those who need them most has been recognised by both state and local politicians as being of significant importance to their constituents. Gawler Foundation therapist Robyn Jones met with Victorian State MPs John Pandazopoulos and Judith Graley recently to discuss the delivery of a new program in Dandenong, a suburb in Melbourne’s south east.
Order in the house: (l-r) Member for Dandenong John Pandazopoulos MP, Gawler Foundation therapist Robyn Jones and Member for Narre Warren South Judith Graley at the launch of Living Well - Dandenong at Parliament House recently.
Mr Pandazopolous, the Member for Dandenong and Ms Graley, the Member for Narre Warren South have embraced the program, particularly for the opportunities it offers to socially disadvantaged people who are dealing with cancer in their electorates. Through their help and the assistance of City of Greater Dandenong councillor Maria Sampey, the Foundation has found a place to facilitate a Healthcare card specific program in the heart of Dandenong. The program commenced on Monday 25 May and runs until 17 August at the Heritage Hill Museum and Garden in McCrae Street Dandenong. The support of local and State politicians is not only recognition of the work The Gawler Foundation has been undertaking for nearly 30 years, it is also
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invaluable in terms of helping us to promote the program and get the message out to the community. The Footscray Living Well program, facilitated by Seikan Cech, began last year and is also available for Healthcare card holders. We delivered three of these programs last year with another three to be rolled during 2009. Other Melbourne suburbs, Burwood, Belgrave, Ringwood and Springvale will all host Living Well this year (see page 23 for course dates). Living Well is also offered in most capital cities throughout Australia and in selected venues in New Zealand, run by accredited Gawler Foundation facilitators who participate in regular training to help people to make informed, effective choices and better manage their healing journey.
A journey of change By Cameron Wood Having found myself with ailing health and embedded in the medical system I was searching for answers and help. From the outset, the doctors and hospital floundered in helping provide relief or a satisfactory response to the physical changes in my body. When an accurate diagnosis finally identified my body as having cancer, I had begun to lose faith in the medical system, and questioned a lifestyle that had brought me to this point. My condition was fast deteriorating as the cancer swept through my physical body and mentally my mind was weakening. Externally I hadn’t changed dramatically but with the elements combined I found myself in a state of confusion. Not only was there a steep learning curve ahead but I felt behind the eight ball in knowing what was happening, in (being able to understand and conquer) understanding and conquering the cancer to(and) embark(ing) on a journey of change. The responses I had received to my situation were quite clinical and generic and I quickly realised didn’t tell the complete story. I knew that new tools and solutions were needed to tackle the transformation I was experiencing. When I heard about The Gawler Foundation and the work they were doing I was keen to become involved. I studied the frameworks of the Foundation’s teachings for empowering oneself and wellbeing, and the need to reclaim a journey of healing. I learnt about the many factors that can contribute and combine to create a situation of illness; along with the need for a change to ones lifestyle and wellbeing that can help heal. Combining conventional medical approaches to cancer treatment with the tools I was learning from my studies at The Gawler Foundation, inspired me to take control of my situation and undertake new practices and implement changes.
This wasn’t easy. I realised the need to awaken dormant elements within myself. Through knowledge gained from the teachings, including positive affirmations, I rediscovered my creative and spiritual elements and practices. Artistic expression of my experiences manifested itself in the manipulation of a number of digital images that had been taken during medical treatment. Manipulating the images offered a direct opportunity to reflect on the physical and mental changes that had been occurring within me and to capture important moments in my journey. Also integral to the journey I was undertaking were my meditation and yoga practices. I had been practising Ashtanga Yoga for several years prior to illness and had an interest in meditation and relaxation method but had not explored them. An interesting component of what I learnt at The Gawler Foundation is the meditative and relaxation techniques, I eagerly embraced them and utilised them during some of my most difficult times. Regular yoga and meditation practices became such an important component of daily life for me that I decided to undertake an intensive yoga and meditation retreat in late 2007. I continue to feel the benefits. Experiencing cancer required me to revaluate my lifestyle. Working with the medical system and taking part in The Gawler Foundation’s lifestyle programs gave me the impetus and the keys for making these changes. Having lived, learned and survived this experience my continuing journey is to celebrate life with an invigorating lifestyle. Cameron participated in The Gawler Foundation’s Living Well, 12 week Cancer, Healing and Wellbeing program. His self-portrait (above) is entitled Chemical Cam and was a part of Cancer Council Victoria’s Arts Awards Exhibition in 2008. healthyliving - The Gawler Foundation magazine 11
Yoga therapy - mastering prana By Dr Swami Shankardev Saraswati MB BS MSc Yogacharya
Introduction to prana Prana is the energy at the basis of all creation. Everything that exists, animate and inanimate, is a manifestation of prana in one form or another. At the macrocosmic level prana is called Maha Shakti, which means ‘great power’. In living beings prana is the source of life. It is a very special form of energy as it makes us live, grow, change and engage with life. Prana is our life-force or vital energy, our inner power and strength. The word prana can also be translated as breath. At the subtlest and most refined level it is equivalent to our spiritual essence. The Yoga Chudamani Upanishad (v. 90) states that ‘As long as prana is retained in the body the individual soul does not leave the body. The departure of prana from the body is death. Therefore prana should be controlled.’ This is why yogis practice pranayama, in order to control and stabilize prana, to improve health and increase longevity.
Prana, the source of vata Prana is a very complex phenomenon. Its nature is highly changeable and constantly moving. In Ayurveda prana and vata have an intimate relationship. Vata, which means ‘wind’ or the ‘wanderer’, is described as cold, dry, subtle, rough and erratic. If our prana is strong then vata is controlled and balanced. If prana is weak, then our vata can increase and cause degenerative diseases and chronic debilitating illness. In Chinese medicine, prana is called qi, and is described like a vapor that can suddenly appear and then disappear, and then undergo major alterations in the next moment. Prana and vata are both the cause of all movement and change in the body. When the body or a part of the body is full of healthy, balanced prana it feels good. There is a sense of strength, warmth and of being nourished. Prana is the basis of this warm glowing feeling. However, it is easy for prana to go out of control. When this happens we say that our vata is imbalanced. We feel tired and exhausted, dry, shaky and ungrounded, anxious and have difficulty sleeping and find that our memory becomes poor. Our mind and body feel weak and insecure. It is easy to lose prana if we do not look after ourselves. We can exhaust ourselves, especially with the constant and rapid changes that are taking place today. If our prana is low or imbalanced we feel weak
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and are prone to illness. We are unable to use our mind and intellect fully.
Good lifestyle
In order to have good strong prana and healthy balanced vata we need to look after ourselves and respect our body and life force. We need to understand that prana is life force, and life feeds on life. The main function of prana is to maintain itself, to keep us alive. It seeks to extract energy from the world around us so as to generate more energy within us. We take in energy from other life forms in the form of food and liquids, and from the air we breathe. The more alive and full of life force a substance is the more life force we extract from that substance. Generation of prana also occurs through stillness and deep rest. Sleep is meant to do this but is not always efficient, especially if we go to bed exhausted or full of worry and tension. Relaxation and meditation practices are the most efficient form of rest, allowing us to calm the mind and emotions and to deeply replenish ourselves with energy. All activity uses prana. This includes movement, speech, thought and emotion. Certain activities use a lot of prana, for example, worry or emotional distress. Poor diet and lifestyle can damage prana Therefore
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To reach our greater pranic potential we need to fill ourselves with the best quality of fuel at all levels of our being; physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.
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we need to live a healthy lifestyle and engage in practices that maintain our prana in a healthy state. It is also important to maintain mental and emotional balance so as not to waste prana. Loving experiences create prana; negative emotions and depression deplete prana. Therefore, to reach our greater pranic potential we need to fill ourselves with the best quality of fuel at all levels of our being; physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.
Strengthening prana – pacifying vata
When our prana is strong, balanced and in tune with nature, we are powerful, creative, capable beings, able to fuel and support our innate intelligence and intuition. By strengthening prana we pacify vata and prevent illness from forming in the body and mind.
and pranic healing Each one of us is given a prana bank account at birth. During our life we can squander this inheritance or we can build on it. If we squander it, we degenerate at an early age. Degenerative disease occurs because of an excess of vata in the body. If we build our prana, we keep our vata under control and become more vital as we age. We need to learn about our prana, what it is, how to manage it, how to use it properly, and how to create more when we need it. The human body-mind must be kept balanced and within a certain range of function for true health and strength. It is so easy for the body-mind to be disturbed, to lose prana if we are not careful, especially during stressful or difficult times.
Yoga therapy - generation, storage and utilisation of prana
Yoga gives us a systematic process that allows us to feel prana and control it. As we develop this awareness we can become more sensitive to the body’s needs. When we are tuned to our prana we intuitively know what makes us feel strong and healthy, and what makes us weak and sick. Once we can feel our prana to some degree we can learn how to consciously generate, store and use prana wisely. The key to knowledge of prana and how to control it lies in the breath. We need to connect to our own breath through observation and eventually learning to control and directing the breath. In this way we begin to control and direct our prana. Probably the most powerful method of strengthening prana is pranayama, yogic breathing techniques. The most powerful method of pranayama to stabilise prana is breath retention (kumbhaka) especially when it is combined with certain energy controlling techniques called mudras and bandhas. Pranayama allows us to engage in a systematic process that draws us into a deep, direct and
authentic experience of prana. We can discover how prana feels, what a lack of prana feels like, and where it flows and where it is blocked in the different areas of your body-mind. This is done through systematic yogic training which allows us to access and control your prana through a combination of postures, breath and mental focus. Dr. Swami Shankardev is an internationally respected medical doctor, yogacharya, psychotherapist, author and lecturer. He lived and studied with his guru, Swami Satyananda, for over 10 years in India (1974– 1985). He lectures all over the world and presented at our 2007 conference. To read more of his work or to contact him go to www.bigshakti.com. healthyliving - The Gawler Foundation magazine 13
Plotting a course for change By Michelle Towle It’s useful to consider how goal setting is quite different from goal striving. In short, its the difference between making a soon-tobe-broken New Year’s Resolution, and the continuous and deliberate action to actually make it happen. To begin the process of creating useful goals start by asking questions like ‘what is it that you’d like to change?’ or ‘what could you do to be healthier?’ Choose something that is important to you; something that you have some confidence you could achieve; something you feel ready to tackle. Once you’ve decided on a goal make it SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attractive, Realistic, Timerelated. Why? It is easier to aim at specific goals rather than vague ones. Choose goals that are behaviours rather than outcomes, for example choose exercise rather than weight loss, eating less meat rather than lowering blood cholesterol. This is because we have control over our behaviours, but not direct control over these outcomes (which may be influenced by things out of our control). Measurement of your goal behaviour allows you to track your progress, which can be hard to see when you are in the middle of it. Enjoyable, attractive, fun activities are more likely to happen and small, simple, concrete, realistic steps are easier to take than great big leaps of change. They are also much less likely to set us up for failure and feeling bad. Pinning yourself down to a time-frame helps to make sure you don’t forget about it! A vague, not-so-SMART goal might be to simply get fitter. A SMART version could be to walk along the beach for 30 minutes a day, every day (weather permitting), with my friend Fredrika, starting Monday. The type of activity has been specified, the number of days and minutes can be measured, Fredrika’s company makes it attractive, and Monday is the time to
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start. If I haven’t done much walking lately, it might be more realistic to start with 3 days this week, and work up to daily walking. Assuming you have a SMART goal to focus on there are a few things you can do to ‘human-proof’ your plan. (I say this because it is very human to create a grand plan and never have it happen, or do it enthusiastically this week and never again.) The four keys to help attain your goals are: Keeping track - How will you monitor your progress? Perhaps you could mark your achievements (eg. walking for 30 minutes) on the calendar, make a star chart or graph, keep a journal, or make note in your diary. Reminders - How will you remind yourself to do all of things you planned? You might be helped by posters or notes around the house, in your office or vehicle. Set an alarm. Put items where you’ll see them (eg. fresh fruit to eat for healthy snacks). Support - Who will support you with your plan, as a buddy or moral support? Perhaps you have a friend, family member or neighbour who would like to achieve the same goal, or would be helpful in checking in with how you are going. Your health practitioner or workmates may be supportive, or members of a group you belong to - sports club, church, support group. Ask for their support. Accountability - How will you keep yourself accountable, ie. doing what you said you would? It can be helpful to have a weekly check in with your supportive friend or buddy. Write down your goals in a prominent place so others will ask you how you’re going with it (publishing your goal in the newspaper is an option!). Be sure to also think about the barriers that might get in the way of achieving your goals. You are the one who will best know what these are. What will you do if these things get in your way? How will you get around them? Dr Michelle Towle, speaker at our 2007 conference, is trained in medicine, health promotion and health coaching. She has a private practice as a Healthy Lifestyles Consultant in Burnie, Tasmania. Contact her at michelle.towle@iinet.net.au
Managing MS: are we forgetting something? A discussion paper summarising the lifestyle approaches to MS and questioning why they are not commonly utilised by primary care physicians has been published in the international journal ‘Quality in Primary Care’. The paper was written by Prof George Jelinek and Dr Craig Hassed, program facilitators at The Gawler Foundation. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the commonest debilitating, progressive neurological disorder in most Western countries. Although it is thought to be an autoimmune condition, in general little is understood about the causation of MS and the factors that trigger or contribute to exacerbations and deterioration. Important studies have been undertaken over recent years which examine the relationship between lifestyle and psychosocial factors and MS progression. These studies suggest that nutrition, sunlight, exercise, stress and social factors can all modulate the rate of progression of MS and the level of disability. Although appearing in respected journals, this information tends to be little known or discussed by clinician and patient alike. If lifestyle approaches do offer potential avenues for therapy, this raises important questions regarding the management of MS in primary care. More widely prescribed conventional medicines have been studied in more detail but are only modestly effective and may have significant side effects. Are we presently neglecting the most effective approach of combining the non-drug or holistic approach with the best of conventional pharmaceutical therapies, and if so what are the implications of this omission? Overall, there is presently enough evidence for lifestyle therapies to be a standard part of the primary care management of MS, although advice about better outcomes needs to be realistically founded on the best available evidence. However, an increasing number of patients take these issues into their own hands; 64 percent of German patients with MS are using complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), and the figure in Australia is probably comparable. Many people, especially with chronic illnesses, are turning to CAM practitioners for non-drug therapies, a holistic approach and lifestyle advice, because they perceive, rightly or wrongly, that CAM practitioners have the
greater time, skills and inclination to provide such care than their general practitioners (GPs). What is being advocated in this article is not the use of CAM per se, but rather the use of lifestyle strategies that should underpin any comprehensive medical care. Studies suggest that patients adopting CAM do it not because they wish to reject conventional medicine, but to augment it because by itself it is perceived as being incomplete. Other concerns include the cost and side effects of conventional medical treatments. It is unfortunate that many patients perceive the need to go outside the primary healthcare system to get such help, but gathering evidence suggests that this desire may be well founded. Furthermore, many patients will not tell their doctors that they are seeing other therapists, which raises important questions about doctor–patient trust, communication and safe monitoring. Doctors must surely be concerned that patients receive the most balanced, up to date and reliable information possible. Many people are searching for the advice from complementary practitioners which they should possibly be receiving from their GPs. Given that these non-drug therapies are likely to be associated with other positive health outcomes, there are good reasons to recommend them. It is likely for instance that a low saturated fat diet and adequate sunlight protect against a range of Western diseases including various cancers, degenerative diseases and autoimmune diseases. There is a pressing need for education about and implementation of lifestyle strategies for the standard management of MS. This needs to be in conjunction with the judicious use of evolving medical therapies. This education and implementation needs to involve GPs and students, MS patients and carers, allied health professionals, and consumer and advocacy groups involved with the care of people with MS. This appears to be the most sound and effective way to enhance care and outcomes. See the full discussion paper at: www.takingcontrolofmultiplesclerosis.org
Good economics starts at home By Gail Lazenbury Gawler Foundation Catering Manager
I don’t know about you, but I am getting a bit fed up with all the gloom and doom surrounding the state of the global economy. Shares are hitting rock bottom, there are job losses everywhere and yet we’re being told to spend, spend spend! But with what? I used to be a ‘let’s go out for dinner tonight’ sort of person, but not any more. My new mantra is ‘eat at home’. Mind you, there’s always an exception to every rule.
Prune mousse
(serves 3-4) One and a half cups prunes (stoned) 1 tbs kanten flakes (or agar agar) 4 tbs water 2 cups soy yoghurt, plain or vanilla 1 tsp lemon juice Half a cup chopped almonds Cook prunes in a little water until soft, then puree in a food processor. Dissolve the kanten or agar agar in the four tablespoons of water by placing it in a stainless steel bowl and placing the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until dissolved. Mix all ingredients together and pour into serving dishes. Allow to set and garnish with chopped almonds before serving.
Baked bananas 3 large bananas 2 tbs water yoghurt Half a cup honey 2 tbs lime or lemon juice Preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius. Peel the bananas and cut them in half lengthwise. Place in a flat baking dish. Mix honey, water and juice. Pour over bananas, bake for 15 minutes, basting periodically. Let cool and serve with a dollop of yoghurt.
A while ago I visited my nephew and his partner who were visiting from the UK. They had rented a very trendy apartment in inner city Melbourne, so naturally we all went out for dinner, stayed overnight and got up to help cook breakfast. I was shocked to find there was no kitchen, just a small fridge full of imported beer (not organic) and a microwave. So we had to head out for breakfast, a very strange occurrence for me. The thought of paying someone to cook me toast and a poached egg is still hard to get my head around. This young couple were in danger of losing touch with food and ingredients, something which seems to be happening to an increasing number of people. Thankfully (and largely due to the fact they now have children) they have gone green and organic in all their cooking, but the message behind this story is to emphasise the importance of spending time in your kitchen. Where I lived as a child, the kitchen was the biggest room in the house and it was from there I began to learn the importance of preparing meals at home. This isn’t to say that my mum was the world’s greatest cook – in fact if it couldn’t be made in a pressure cooker we didn’t eat it! The point is that at that time, cooking at home was a fact of life and with the state of the global economy at the moment, it’s a really good time to get back into the kitchen and back to cooking wholesome hearty food for family and friends. Instead of inviting people out for dinner at a restaurant and expecting them to spend money they perhaps do not have, why not invite them around to your place for dinner? It doesn’t have to be a seven course banquet; you can even ask them to bring something along with them. So what to cook? An Asian style salad maybe, pasta? You can’t go wrong with a good vegetarian lasagne, a risotto (if you can get the rice) or even a curry dahl. Looking through Recipe for Life Book 1 I came across a great recipe for sweet and sour tofu or tempeh. This is great served with soba noodles. For dessert, I’ve picked out two options; a prune mousse or sweet baked bananas with yoghurt. Phone up your friends, enjoy a great night in and make it a rule that there’s to be no mention of the global financial crisis! Good eating.
Sweet and sour tempeh or tofu (serves 2)
Half block tempeh or tofu cut into 1.5 cm cubes (200 gm approx) 1 cup thinly sliced carrots Half cup mirin sauce 2 red capsicums cut into 1 cm pieces. 1 tsp freshly grated ginger 2 tbs tamari sauce and 2 tbs water Preparation: 20 min Cook: 20 min
Marinade the tofu or tempeh in the tamari and ginger, then heat in the oven or on top of the stove until thoroughly warmed through. Meanwhile steam capsicums and carrots until tender. Drain any excess tamari and ginger from the tofu, add tofu to the vegetables and the heated mirin. Serve on a bed of rice or noodles. Garnish with steamed vegetables.
Mirin sauce
One and a quarter cup of apple cider vinegar Half a cup of honey Boil together until mixture is reduced and thickened. Bottle and keep for vegetable or other rice dishes.
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Fed up with food additives By Sue Dengate Over the last 30 years, our food has changed dramatically, and so have food-related problems. The use of food additives has become routine, even in foods regarded as healthy. In 2007, a survey by Birds Eye UK found that most consumers underestimate how many additives they eat per day. They don’t know which foods contain additives and think that home prepared food is safer. Yet the average consumer eats 20 additives per day or 19 per day if foods are home prepared. How can this be? If you read supermarket labels for the ingredients in a home-made ham and cheese sandwich, you will see that you could make that sandwich with between one and ten nasty additives as listed in the Additives to Avoid Box [Box 1 below]: bread (223, 282, 319), spread (202, 320), cheese slices (160b, 200) and ham (250, 220, 635). From the additive point of view, this home prepared lunch can be worse than a takeaway burger. As well as numbe red additives, there are several thousand flavour additives that are considered to be trade secrets. Some of these flavour chemicals - whether artificial or natural - can cause the same problems as colours and preservatives if consumed in large doses or by sensitive people. People with severe symptoms may also need to avoid flavouring chemicals when they occur in natural foods, for example, salicylates in some fruits and vegetables; amines in fermented foods such as cheese and chocolate; and glutamates in tasty foods such as yeast extract and soy sauce.
Reactions to additives are not allergies. Food allergies are a quick, obvious reaction - usually involving itching, swelling or breathing difficulties to the proteins in foods such as peanuts, milk, egg, wheat and seafood. Unlike allergies, reactions to additives and other food chemicals are related to dose, so the more you eat, the more likely you are to be affected. This is called food intolerance. Since the reactions usually occur hours or even days later and can build up slowly, most people don’t realise what is affecting them or even that they are affected by food. I became interested in food intolerance through the experiences of my children. Fifteen years ago I founded the Food Intolerance Network which now consists of over 6000 families. My husband Dr Howard Dengate, a food scientist, and I have conducted additive-free trials in three NSW primary schools. In each case we found the same results – although most parents initially say they eat healthy food and there is nothing wrong with their children, staff and students are surprised at the changes. Over a period of two weeks, students become noticeably calmer, quieter, stop calling out in class, classes are more harmonious, children relate better to their peers, headaches and stomach aches improve, students concentrate better and detentions drop to zero. You can see a video of a trial at
http://www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info/books/Palmers.htm.
Australia has a much higher use of nasty food additives than most other countries in the world. In the next issue I will write more about this topic. Sue Dengate is a bestselling author. Her most recent book is Fed Up: understanding how food affects your child and what you can do about it, Random House, 2008. Sue runs the Food Intolerance Network through www.fedup.com.au
Additives to avoid Colours
102 tartrazine, 104 quinoline yellow, 110 sunset yellow, 122 azorubine, 123 amaranth, 124 ponceau, 127 erythrosine, 129 allura red, 132 indigotine, 133 brilliant blue, 142 green S, 143 Fast Green FCF, 151 brilliant black, 155 chocolate brown, 160b annatto natural colour
Preservatives
200-203 sorbates, 210-213 benzoates, 220-228 sulphites, 280-283 propionates, 249-252 nitrates, nitrites, 310312 antioxidants, 319-320 antioxidants
Flavour enhancers
620-637 MSG, other glutamates, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, ribonucleotides
Symptoms of food intolerance
headaches, migraines; eczema, hives, other itchy rashes; asthma, stuffy or runny nose, frequent colds; reflux, bloating, stomach aches, constipation and/or diarrhoea; bedwetting, incontinence; irritability, restlessness, oppositional defiance; inattention, fatigue; difficulty falling asleep, frequent night waking; anxiety, depression, panic attacks; joint pain, arthritis
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Latest research Tea in hot water People who drink their tea piping hot run a higher risk of throat cancer than counterparts who prefer a cooler cuppa, an investigation published in the British Medical Journal has found. Cancer of the oesophagus is linked especially to smoking and alcohol abuse but hot beverages have also been considered a risk factor, possibly because of damage to throat tissue. Interested in finding out more, Iranian researchers went to Golestan province, which has one of the highest rates of oesophageal cancer in the world. Inhabitants there sip large quantities of hot black tea typically drinking more than a litre per day per person - but also have a low incidence of tobacco and alcohol use. A team led by Reza Malekzadeh of the Digestive Disease Research Centre at Teheran University of Medical Sciences looked at 300 people diagnosed with a throat tumour and a matched group of 571 healthy people who lived in the same area. Those who drank hot tea (between 65-69 degrees celsius) were twice as likely to develop throat cancer compared with those who drank warm or lukewarm tea at 65 degrees or less. Drinking very hot tea (at least 70 degrees) was associated with an eightfold increased risk compared with warm or lukewarm tea. the amount of tea that is consumed and the risk of cancer. Its scope did not include an assessment of risk for coffee and other hot beverages. Source: www.foodweek.com.au
Fresh breath at a cost The use of mouthwashes that contain alcohol as an ingredient can drastically increase a person’s risk of cancers of the mouth, head and neck, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Australia’s University of Melbourne and University of Queensland School of Dentistry. Researchers studied use of mouthwash among 3,210 people and compared it with rates of mouth, head and neck cancers. “We see people with oral cancer who have no other risk factors than the use of [mouthwash containing alcohol], so what we’ve done is review all the evidence,” said lead researcher Michael McCullough, chair of the Australian Dental Association’s therapeutics committee. The researchers found that all participants who used an alcohol-containing mouthwash at least once per
day had a significantly increased risk of cancer, independent of other risk factors such as smoking or drinking alcoholic beverages. Among those who both used alcohol-containing mouthwash and regularly drank alcoholic beverages, the risk of cancers of the larynx, pharynx or oral cavity was five times that of people who drank but did not use mouthwash. The risk of cancer in people who smoked and used alcoholcontaining mouthwashes was an astonishing nine times that of non-mouthwash-using smokers. The body breaks down alcohol, also known as ethanol, into a carcinogenic compound called acetaldehyde. The researchers note that due to the way that mouthwash is swished around, acetaldehyde may thereby accumulate in the oral cavity. In addition, the researchers believe that alcohol makes mucus membranes more permeable to other chemicals, allowing nicotine and other carcinogens increased access to the body’s tissues. Source: www.naturalnews.com
A mushroom a day... An Australian research study just published in the International Journal of Cancer has revealed that 10 grams of mushrooms - less than one button mushroom - per day can protect against breast cancer. The research found that additional protection was also provided by green tea. The research, conducted by Dr Min Zhang of the University of Western Australia, involved more than 2000 Chinese women. The study investigated the role of traditional diets and their affect on the breast cancer rate of Chinese women, which is up to five times lower than that found in many Western nations. Researchers compared a comprehensive dietary survey of 1009 cancer patients with an equal number of healthy women of the same age. Their findings revealed that those women who consumed the most fresh mushrooms were around two-thirds less likely to develop breast cancer in comparison to those who did not consume mushrooms. An additional decrease in breast cancer risk was also seen in those women who ate mushrooms and drank green tea. Accredited Practising Dietitian and healthy eating specialist, Glenn Cardwell, said the news was positive and supported previous research that mushrooms have naturally occurring compounds that inhibit breast cancer growth. “While the researchers have stressed that this study does not prove a cause and effect relationship, the study has shown that it is biologically plausible for mushrooms and green tea to play a significant dietary role in reducing the risk of breast cancer.” Source: www.foodweek.com.au
In the bookstore News and reviews from the newest arrivals at The Gawler Foundation’s Resource Centre with Robin Jones. COMFORTABLE WITH UNCERTAINTY Pema Chodron $31.00 Pema Chodron is a beautiful writer. Her view of things has grown from decades as a practicing Buddhist nun and teacher. She describes our condition, always trying to avoid suffering, and the ways we typically react to the events of our lives, with humour and real compassion for our constant daily dilemma. Her way of presenting these teachings gives us high quality encouragement to open up and stay in the moment, dealing with whatever it brings with fearlessness and compassion. Though we actively work at clearing away the obstacles to achieving our natural state, the editor’s preface says that ‘we are intimidated by its unconditional openness. Our heart feels so vulnerable and tender that we fabricate walls to protect it. It takes determined inner work even to see the walls, and a gentle approach to dismantling them. We don’t have to tear them down all at once…. Learning to rest in openhearted basic goodness is a lifelong process. The teachings in this book offer gentle and precise techniques to help us along the way.’
A BLESSING IN DISGUISE Andrea Joy Cohen $19.95 As its title suggests, this collection of stories is about the gifts that may be hidden within our dark and difficult times. The contributors include Dean Ornish, Rachel Naomi Remen, Bernie Siegel, Joan Borysenko, Harriet Lerner, Thich Nhat Hahn, Stephen Levine, Dharma Singh Khalsa, Susan Jeffers and Anne Wilson Schaef, all luminaries in the fields of spirituality and mind-body medicine, as well as great storytellers. Here they share personal stories about their most challenging experiences and how they handled them, emerging fortified with inner peace, strengthened faith and a deeper understanding of life.
THE SANCTUARY – CD Peter Roberts $29.95 Peter has contributed some beautiful harp music as background on two of Ian’s recorded meditations (‘Relaxation & Harp’ on CDM2-Relaxation for Everyone and ‘The Healing Journey’ on CDM5-Mind Body Medicine). Many people have said how much they enjoyed meditating with Peter’s gentle music. This new CD is one long track of harp music, designed to take you to a place of stillness and then to guide you slowly out again, so you arrive in your normal state, relaxed and refreshed. This is idea music for meditation.
Financial Members receive a ten percent discount on books and audio and five percent discount on the Champion Juicer. Please quote your membership number when ordering. How to order - Go to the shopping cart at www.gawler.org or contact the Resource Centre on: (03) 5967 1730; Fax (03) 5967 1715 or email resources@gawler.org Shipping rates within Australia: one book $6, each additional book $2 (Vic) $4 (other states). One CD $2, each additional CD $1. One DVD or video $5, each additional one $1.
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ANTI CANCER
by environmental toxins, nutrition, emotions and physical activity in containing cancer.
By Dr David Servan-Schreiber
$35.00 All of us have cancer cells in our bodies. But not all of us will develop cancer. This international bestseller examines what we can do to increase the chances of recovery from it. Dr David Servan-Schreiber was first confronted with cancer when he was working as a medical resident in Pittsburgh. Already a recognized pioneer in neuroscience, by his own admission David had all the arrogant and immortal confidence of a thirty-year-old overachiever. Then he discovered he had cancer of the brain. And his life changed. Servan-Schreiber went on to research alternative medicine and founded and directed a Centre of Integrative Medicine at the highly conservative University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre. This book is a culmination of his experience in the field of cancer, as a doctor and as a patient. It is his personal story, the story of the cases he has come across and the medical and scientific story of the disease and its mechanisms. He looks, in particular, at the relation between a body and its cancer, at the immune system and the roles played
Servan-Schreiber does not dismiss conventional medicine, nor is he anti-pharmaceutical: he empowers the reader with the understanding and the tools to tackle cancer alongside conventional treatments – or, better yet, to help avoid cancer altogether. While he goes into the evidence for a healthy diet (very similar to the one that we recommend) and lifestyle in depth, he also investigates the role of emotions and expectations in chapters such as The Anti Cancer Mind, Diffusing Fear and Learning to Change. In general this book supports the principles of our programs very well. Written in a style that combines clarity when discussing the scientific aspects with sensitivity, an obvious desire to help humanity and a grasp of language that gives great power to the author’s conclusions and insights, this book is both informative and inspiring in equal parts. Included is a useful pocket guide, summarizing the most important points. Highly recommended.
Excerpt from anti cancer - a new way of life Every one of us can make the most of this revolution in our knowledge of cancer to protect as well as to take care of ourselves. But this first calls for a revolution in our awareness. Above all, we must be conscious of the value and beauty of the life in us. We must pay attention to it and look after it as we would care for a child entrusted to us. This awareness helps us to avoid damaging our physiology and encouraging cancer. It enables us to make the most of everything that nourishes and sustains our vital force. We don’t need to have cancer to start to really take our life seriously and to perceive its beauty. On the contrary. The closer we are to our own values and the more sensitive
we are to the vibrant beauty of existence, the more chances we have of being protected against disease and also benefiting fully from our passage on earth. At the end of this book, I must confess I’m concerned about the reactions of my fellow physicians and scientists. One of a physician’s - and in particular an oncologist’s - greatest worries is ‘not to give false hopes’. We have all learned that nothing is more painful for a patient than the feeling of having been betrayed by ill-considered promises... Because of these concerns - all legitimate - my colleagues are sometimes tempted to refuse out of hand all approaches outside the confines of existing conventional practices. But this comes down to restricting
ourselves to a conception of medicine that withholds the power every one of us has to take charge of ourselves. As if we couldn’t do anything to protect ourselves actively against cancer - before and after the disease. Encouraging this passivity creates a culture of hopelessness. ‘What’s more, it’s a false hopelessness, since all the scientific evidence shows that we can have a substantial impact on our body’s capacity to defuse the mechanisms of cancer. This is exactly what the resounding report of the World Cancer Research Fund emphasised when it stated that ‘in principle, most cancer is preventable’.
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Spreading some ‘Miss’ information The Gawler Foundation is committed to forming partnerships with like minded organisations and individuals who not only reflect our ethos, but can also offer tangible benefits to our members. We are pleased to welcome on board Miss Organic, a new Melbourne based business that offers deliveries of fresh produce, wholefoods and healthy gifts to your door. The Miss Organic range is totally organic and biodynamic, it’s chemical free and highly nutritious. Order online at their website, www.missorganic.com.au where you’ll also find recipes, nutritional information and links to other great sites. Members of The Gawler Foundation receive a 10 percent discount off their first order and five percent off every subsequent order, with free delivery for orders over $45.
Tranquil twilights at the Botanic Gardens The Gawler Foundation’s resident harpist Michael Johnston is the driving force behind Twilight Music, a concert series held in Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens on the first Thursday of every month. Mike sublime harp playing has been a feature of the Foundation’s programs for over a decade. He is an integral part of the music meditation workshops and offers program participants an opportunity to engage with and deepen their meditation through his playing. Twilight Music represents some of the finest instrumentalists in Australia including Tony Gould, Imogen Manins, David Jones, Ben Robinson, Wilbur Wilde, Jeremy Allsop, Kavisha Mazzella and the Melbourne Welsh Choir. Tranquil meditative music in a beautiful garden setting - visit www.twilightmusic.com.au or contact Mike on 0407302771. Right: Michael Johnson at a recent performance.
Online support in your hour of need
www.imthinkingofyou.com.au is an internet based service that links family and friends together in a time of need. The Australian site is a free service set up by Dale Elliott. Once a Commercial Pilot and Aircraft Engineer, Dale’s life took a rapid diversion in December 2002 after a motorbike accident left him a paraplegic. During that time he understood the need to set up a structure to not only provide family and friends with information about his progress, but to also let people know when he needed some assistance to get things done. www.imthinkingofyou.com.au helps many thousands of people from around the world to connect with their family and friends in order to share information confidentially as well as let people know when you need some help.
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2009 Gawler Foundation Programs Personal and Professional Development Meditation Teachers Training
Facilitated by Dr Ian Gawler and Paul Bedson May (part 1): Monday 4 May - Friday 8 May August (part 2): Friday 28 August - Sunday 30 August November (part 3) Friday 6 November - Sunday 8 November
Mindfulness Meditation
Weekend training facilitated by Dr Craig Hassed: Friday 19 June - Sunday 21 June
Mindfulness Training Follow Up
Weekend program facilitated by Dr Ian Gawler and Paul Bedson Friday 4 September - Sunday 6 September
Reclaim your Life
6 day retreat with a variety of experienced facilitators. An integrative wellbeing program designed to empower you to improve your quality of life and make your heart sing! Sunday 22 November - Friday 27 November
Non-Residential Programs
Living Well - Cancer Self-Help Groups, Promoting Health and Wellbeing 12 weekly sessions that help to overcome the challenges of cancer Ringwood Monday 10am - 12.30pm Burwood Tuesdays 10am - 12.30pm 26 May - 11 August 1 July - 16 September 18 August - 10 November Dandenong 25 May - 17 August 17 November - 15 December (weeks 1-5) Springvale 28 Sept-14 Dec Weeks 6-12 of program held Jan-Feb 2010 Belgrave Wednesdays 10am - 12.30pm 8 April - 24 June
Footscray Thursday 10am – 12.30pm 9 April – 25 June 9 July – 24 September 1 October – 17 December
Ongoing meditation and support groups Ongoing Meditation Group Burwood Tuesdays 1pm - 2pm Ongoing Cancer Self-Help Support Group - Follow up program - Burwood Tuesdays 2.30-4.30pm
Mindfulness-based Stillness Meditation and Imagery An 8 week non-residential program held in Armadale Monday 12.30pm - 2pm: 20 April - 15 June; 5 October - 23 November Monday 6.30pm - 8pm: 13 July - 31 August
Melbourne based events
‘Profound Healing - Sustainable Wellbeing’ Annual Conference Saturday 14 & Sunday 15 November 2009
‘Mind Body Spirit Seminar Series’
seminars held throughout the year (by invitation to current financial members of The Gawler Foundation)
Become a member of The Gawler Foundation today!