August 2011 Health Notes Archives

Go For It! Family Program

As parents and adult role models, we want our children to have fulfilling, happy, successful lives. We want what’s best for them, for ourselves, and for our communities. How many times have you told your child…or yourself to: Change your attitude! Believe in yourself! Get rid of that habit! Make wise choices! Set a goal! Be creative! Hang in there! This is what we tell ourselves and our children to do.

But where did we learn how to do it? Did anybody ever teach you exactly how to change your attitude when it was negative? Did anyone ever explain to you exactly how to believe in yourself, erase self-defeating behaviors, make wise choices, set and achieve goals, use your creative imagination, and be persistent? Most of us make enough mistakes and face enough challenges on our way to adulthood that we develop a haphazard trial-and-error understanding of what it takes to be successful in life, or at least to avoid constant failure. As a result, because that understanding lacks a solid base of teachable knowledge and skills, our lives tend to be a tale of ups and downs. Is that all we want for ourselves and our families?

Kinshasha talked with author Judy Zerafu about the strategies and practices in her book that help adults and children be successful in life. Now is the time to GO FOR IT!

Free Yourself From Obsessive Compulsive Behavior Dr. Jeffrey Swartz

An estimated 5 million Americans suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and live diminished lives in which they are compelled to obsess about something or to repeat a similar task over and over. Traditionally, OCD has been treated with Prozac or similar drugs. The problem with medication, aside from its cost, is that 30 percent of people treated don’t respond to it, and when the pills stop, the symptoms invariably return.