Thursday, May 19, 2011

World Sickle Cell Awareness Day - June 23-24, 2011




The Sickle Cell Disease Association of America (SCDAA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cordially invite you to join us in the celebration of World Sickle Cell Awareness Day to be held June 23 - 24, 2011 at the World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA.

The theme of World Sickle Cell Awareness Day:

Educate and Unite highlights the need to increase awareness of the global impact of sickle cell disease(SCD) and the importance of uniting global support for promoting and improving the health of persons with SCD through "increasing global action to reduce child mortality in SCD."

The celebration will begin on Thursday, June 23rd with a national press conference and private reception. It will culminate on Friday, June 24th with presentations by a number of SCD experts and panel discussions with several international representatives.

For more information and registration:

www.scdworldday.eventbrite.com/

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Meditation May Reduce Pain



In a recent article by Salynn Boyles for WebMD Health News it was discovered that “after just four, 20-minute instructional sessions in mindfulness meditation, most participants in the small study experienced big reductions in pain intensity and unpleasantness of pain.”

In this study researchers recruited 18 healthy young adults who had never meditated prior to joining the study.

Over four, 20-minute training sessions, participants were taught a meditation technique known as focused attention, which involves paying close attention to breathing patterns while acknowledging and letting go of thoughts.

As part of my pain management I have also used the technique of “mindfully letting go of thoughts” as a way to manage pain.

However, I believe there is something that should be meditated on, the Word of God. As I let go of painful/hurtful/self-pity/anger filled thoughts, I meditate on the promises of God to help, heal and restore me.

Here are a few bible verses that attest to what I believe:

a. Hebrews 11:6 - “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

b. Psalms 30:20 - “O LORD my God, I cried out to you, and you healed me.”

c. Jeremiah 17:14 - “Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; Save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise.”

d. Proverbs 17:22 - “A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.”

e. Philippians 2:5 - “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”

My conclusion:

God has made promises of health and peace, both physically and spiritually. If we meditate on His word (and) promises, we will receive the peace (he promised), the joy (that comes with knowing Him) and the help (when we suffer).

This is what I know for sure; pain may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

Meditate on that.