Great Gifts, Worthy Cause

I visited two orphanages in Cambodia this past Spring, funded by the Children’s Medi Fund (a nonprofit). The dignity and richness of these children’s lives stood in stark contrast to the plight of so many homeless children in Cambodia.

You can buy wonderful hand-made items and clothing from Cambodia and Vietnam that directly benefits the Children’s Medi Fund and the people who made the items. Sales are Nov 16-30 at California State University and San Francisco locations. If you are interested, write to phyllis4hope@mac.com.

-Pennie

‘Pennie for your thoughts…
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Parents Want Vaccine Research

What matters to parents when it comes to medical research? How assured are they by health provider and government officials assurances that vaccines are safe?  Apparently, the answers are pretty clear. A study released by the C.S. Mott Children’s National Poll on Children’s Health shows that nearly 9 in 10 parents rank vaccine safety, and the effectiveness of medicines, as the most important topics in children’s health research today. Concern about vaccines has risen markedly among parents in the past decade.

Other topics that parents want to see researched include environmental substances that could lead to health issues (72%) and foods that might protect against cancer (67%) as well as cancer-causing foots (64%).

-Pennie

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Make Sleep a Priority

Can you name a few things in life that you find deeply satisfying, but just don’t get enough of? Hmmmm. Did sleep come to mind? I gave a presentation to an international law firm this past week on getting a good night’s rest, as part of their continuing education requirements in “wellness”, so the topic is fresh in my mind. Your energy and vitality depend on getting enough sleep. How much is enough? There is some natural variation here, but not as much as you might guess. Research finds that the vast majority of people need 7.5 – 8 hours of sleep a night for optimum functioning, but the majority of Americans are getting under 7 hours. What’s the logical conclusion: Most people in the USA are chronically sleep deprived and not functioning at their best.

The real effects of not getting enough sleep go way beyond “not functioning at one’s best”. I read reports that list some of many serious effects of sleep deprivation: irritability, risk of heart disease; headaches, cognitive impairment; memory lapses; impaired moral judgment; impaired immune system; growth suppression; metabolism changes/risk of obesity; and risk of diabetes (Type 2). I’m putting the pieces together for why 90% of Americans over 60 suffer from a chronic disease!

When I am not getting enough sleep, I stop myself and make sleep a priority. Next week I’ll share some energy tips from my practice.

-Pennie

‘Pennie for your thoughts…
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Anger Changes Us

You’re blood is boiling. What do you do? Fight, flee or freeze? Inside your mind and body, a wide range of biological changes are happening to enable you to make one of those choices. For example, the jaw may clench (because we are socialized to suppress anger) or you might “roar” in a deeper (men) voice or a shriller (women) voice than usual. Your eyes narrow, which improves peripheral vision a bit (so you can see what’s coming at you). Your shoulders might rise up making you look bigger and more dangerous. Your body pumps adrenaline into the system so the heart speeds up and pumps muscle to the organs at a faster rate.

The trick is, how do we get back to a balanced, relaxed state after such a stress event? In my new DVD series, I teach techniques that even children can learn. One simple way is to come back to the breath. Notice your IN breath and your OUT breath. Stay present with your breath for a few minutes. Exercise is another way of reducing the negative side effects of a stress response like anger. Why not do both?

-Pennie

‘Pennie for your thoughts…
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Read to Me

When my children were young, story time was a favorite part of bedtime. We made it a practice to go to the public library near their school and pick out our limit of story books. Piled high, the stack of books would be whittled down as each night a new book was chosen for story time. I remember the plea “One more story!”

It turns out that babies raised among books obtain an average of three years more education than book-free children. Listening skills, vocabulary and cognitive skills are developed. Audio books are another way to develop the brain. When I scripted the Life Skills series, I used a radio show format to engage young children in storytelling around wellness concepts.

My children are in college and graduate school. I hope the storytelling days helped them on their road. It’s a great way to spend time with your favorite child. Books make great gifts, but don’t forget your public library.

-Pennie

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Nov. 5 Anywhere, Anytime: Self-Help for Sleep

NOV 5
Anywhere, Anytime: Self-Help for Sleep
2 – 2:45 pm
Program D

&

Anywhere, Anytime: Self-Help for Stress
3:15 – 4 pm
Program A
Presenter: Pennie Sempell
Place: 2100 Webster Street, Suite 119
San Francisco, CA 94115

Each program includes a short presentation and instruction in safe, non-invasive techniques integrating mind-body medicine, hands-on energy medicine, meditation and mediation that you can do at home or on the job.

Space is limited. Reservation in advance is recommended but drop-ins are welcome.
pennie@healthierhappierlife.com

www.healthierhappierlife.com

LECTURES FALL 2010: FIRST FRIDAYS PROGRAMS

A Anywhere, Anytime: Self-Help for Stress
B Anywhere, Anytime: Self-Help for Happiness
C Anywhere, Anytime: Self-Help for Aches & Pains
D Anywhere, Anytime: Self-Help for Sleep

SEPT 10
Anywhere, Anytime: Self-Help for Happiness
2 – 2:45 – Program B
Anywhere, Anytime: Self-Help for Aches & Pains
3:15 – 4 – Program C
OCT 1
Anywhere, Anytime: Self-Help for Aches & Pains
2 – 2:45 – Program C
D Anywhere, Anytime: Self-Help for Sleep
3:15 – 4 – Program D
NOV 5
Anywhere, Anytime: Self-Help for Sleep
2 – 2:45 – Program D
Anywhere, Anytime: Self-Help for Stress
3:15 – 4 – Program A

Space is limited. Reservation in advance is recommended but drop-ins are welcome.
pennie@healthierhappierlife.com

Stay update with future classes by subscribing to our Google calendar.

Pennie’s Calendar

-Pennie

‘Pennie for your thoughts…
Make a comment, share a link, or send me a direct e-mail with questions.

Can Self-Hypnosis Help?

As young psychology major at UCB, I was an arch skeptic of hypnosis and jumped at the chance to prove “You can’t hypnotize me” as a volunteer in a PhD hypnosis training program. Each week, a different technique was practiced, such as age regression and mental rehearsal of a physical skill. Not only did I readily slip into a hypnotic state, I was completely aware of what was going on and found the process thoroughly enjoyable and practical. It was fun actually “seeing” each kid in my 3rd grade class and remembering their names, said aloud in a squeaky girl’s voice that amused me listening to myself. It was practical to mentally rehearse a tricky piece of dance choreography that had been giving me some trouble, and then execute it perfectly that night at my dance rehearsal.

Now in my integrative health practice in San Francisco, I find that leading a visualization or guided imagery session (a form of hypnotherapy) can be profoundly helpful for my clients in reducing anxiety, preparing for surgery, opening clogged sinuses, minimizing nausea, and a wide range of improvements. Writer Lauren Friedman says in Psychology Today (October 2010) “The latest research shows that patients can achieve these curative effects through self-hypnosis, a simple technique that many master in a single session.” I agree

Self-hypnosis is a handy skill to add to your wellness toolbox.

-Pennie

‘Pennie for your thoughts…
Make a comment, share a link, or send me a direct e-mail with questions.

Anywhere, Anytime: Self-Help for Happiness

Anywhere, Anytime: Self-Help for Happiness
2 – 2:45
Program B

&

Anywhere, Anytime: Self-Help for Aches & Pains
3:15 – 4
Program C
Presenter: Pennie Sempell
Place:  2100 Webster Street, Suite 119
San Francisco, CA 94115

Each program includes a short presentation and instruction in safe, non-invasive techniques integrating mind-body medicine, hands-on energy medicine, meditation and mediation that you can do at home or on the job.

Space is limited. Reservation in advance is recommended but drop-ins are welcome.
pennie@healthierhappierlife.com

www.healthierhappierlife.com

LECTURES FALL 2010: FIRST FRIDAYS PROGRAMS

A  Anywhere, Anytime: Self-Help for Stress
B  Anywhere, Anytime: Self-Help for Happiness
C  Anywhere, Anytime: Self-Help for Aches & Pains
D Anywhere, Anytime: Self-Help for Sleep

SEPT 10
Anywhere, Anytime: Self-Help for Happiness
2 – 2:45 – Program B
Anywhere, Anytime: Self-Help for Aches & Pains
3:15 – 4 – Program C
OCT 1
Anywhere, Anytime: Self-Help for Aches & Pains
2 – 2:45 – Program C
D Anywhere, Anytime: Self-Help for Sleep
3:15 – 4 – Program D
NOV 5
Anywhere, Anytime: Self-Help for Sleep
2 – 2:45 – Program D
Anywhere, Anytime: Self-Help for Stress
3:15 – 4 – Program A

Space is limited. Reservation in advance is recommended but drop-ins are welcome.
pennie@healthierhappierlife.com

Stay update with future classes by subscribing to our Google calendar.

Pennie’s Calendar

-Pennie

‘Pennie for your thoughts…
Make a comment, share a link, or send me a direct e-mail with questions.

HURRAH!!!!! for cafeteria food

The corner has finally turned on healthy food in schools, and a big HURRAH goes up from me. When my children went to a sought after charter public school in San Francisco, the one place where the adjective “terrific” would not apply was the cafeteria. After one experience in the cafeteria, my children considered it punishment to send them with “caf” money instead of a lunchbox. Empowering kids to care about healthy food is so important to me that I made it the first lesson of our soon-to-be released Life Skills DVD.

The American Dietetic Association has an updated position paper on local support for nutritional integrity in schools that emphasizes the importance of high-quality, affordable, nutritious foods and beverages throughout the school day, with a special attention given to getting more kids in for a healthy breakfast. Eating breakfast has been shown to improve students’ overall diets and may improve cognitive function, memory, test grades and school attendance rates.

Community and school support is essential for such programs to work. Do what you can in your local community to speak up (or vote for) for such funding!

-Pennie

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Take Action on BPA

N1H1 and now this?  Washington D.C. based Environmental Working Group has found that 40% of cash register receipts from major retail outlets and ATM machines carry significant traces of the industrial chemical BPA (Bisphenol A).  According to the “Health Scare” article in The Week (Aug 20, 2010 issue) “Even low level exposure has been liked to heart ailments, cancer, and behavioral and reproductive problems.” We’re talking about a health risk with that little piece of paper you save to for the IRS audit or to return merchandise!

-Pennie

‘Pennie for your thoughts…
Make a comment, share a link, or send me a direct e-mail with questions.

Three studies have found that BPA coating transfers easily to fingers.  Said researcher Frederick van Staal “I won’t touch receipts now.”  Really?  So can we safely handle receipts?  I say, they have to get this chemical OUT of paper products, and we have to insist this happens at the merchant level.

Action you can do:

• Pass on this blog to your friends
• Alert your local merchants “Is BPA in your receipts? I don’t want it!”
• Copy my blog and hand to every cashier you meet to give to her manager

-Pennie

‘Pennie for your thoughts…
Make a comment, share a link, or send me a direct e-mail with questions.