Our 13-week series began with the discussion of the medical facts that support the power of mind within the body and as interface with our spiritual existence.  Across cultures and centuries, medicine and man’s spirituality have been one, separated by devotion to science or to faith.   Now, as new partners, they bring optimal wellness.  So let’s look at some of the different spiritual and cultural strengths of east and west, of mind and heart, when it comes to promoting wellness.  What can these different and diverse cultures offer to promote our wellness?  What do they have in common?  We have heard from some thought leaders.  Now, let’s hear from people who are searching and finding answers they are putting to use for daily well-being as well as for helping others overcome health challenges.  We have some young and exciting people to learn from today.  We’ll also return some of our prior guests to join our discussion.

Guests for this Episode
Tehmina Choudhary was born in Pakistan and raised a Muslim.  She has been able to see the one God shining through the ritual of the Hindu Temple or Mosque.  She has been a member of the Sant Nirankari Mission, The Universal Brother, since 2005. This mission teaches that, no matter which religion you practice, you realize there is only one God. The mission is known for its universal brotherhood, where people of different religions can gather and share their faith. Tehmina is a 3rd year medical student.

Vivek Sahajwani, a native of India, is also a member of the Sant Nirankari and had a unique exposure to spiritual healers in India. This experience gives a broader view of health challenges. His spiritual journey has brought him to Sant Nirankari, where he has found universal acceptance of all faiths through the fundamental belief in one God. He is a 4th year medical student with a goal to build a hospital in India.

We also welcome back former guests Chana Carro & Dr. Padma Aking.

From classical Indian dance to practicing psychiatrist, Dr. Padma Aking brings a unique perspective on mental health.  She has a successful psychiatric practice in Phoenix, as well as an understanding of mental health challenges in eastern and western cultures. Are there ways of looking at and formulating treatment that differ due to eastern philosophies? What is the impact of western values on how mental illness is understood in India? What can we learn from eastern ways of life that may help us overcome mental and other health challenges in the west?  How can the east benefit from what we have developed in psychiatric medicine in the west?  What do we have in common and where are we still far apart?  Perhaps east and west have the best balance via mutual respect and shared values.

About Dr. Aking
Dr. Padma Aking is a practicing psychiatrist in Phoenix, AZ.  She was born in Hyderabad, India, and moved to the US a couple of decades ago.  Aking is also an Indian classical dancer and used this dance forum recently to present “Mind Matters,” a unique representation of psychiatric illnesses, in an effort to reduce stigma and increase mental health awareness. This is an innovative approach designed to start conversations about mental illnesses in a more acceptable way, especially in the East Indian population, where psychiatric illnesses are still viewed as taboo.

We can’t talk about wellness of mind and body without talking about nutritional support for the body and the brain.  When you get right down to the building blocks of who we are, one of the keystones of our wellness is what we put in our bodies.  We’ve been talking about the different abilities of mind to activate our immune system, conquer stress or interface with our transcendent self.  Mind and body should get the best “food for thought.”  Our guests represent the cutting edge of nutrition research and applied science in supplementation that must meet the standards of several world health agencies besides the US FDA.  How much supplementation is enough?  What type is best?  Who’s ensuring the purity and bioavailability?  Can they be safely used with conventional medication?  Why not just eat organic foods in adequate quantity and variety – if you can afford it?  Is there a way to know what you need specifically?  Can supplements slow the aging process? This is important information … after all, you are what you eat!

About The Guests
Marc Lemay, PhD, CCTI is senior scientist and clinical researcher at the Nutrilite Health Institute.  His specialty is research and development of new products for global markets.  He designed a controlled clinical trial and consumer use study of ClearGuard, the first dietary supplement shown to be equivalent to a prescription drug for allergy symptom relief.  He has been a frequent speaker on nutrition and health for international organizations.  He is a thought leader in the science of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients, and on the future of food supplementation.

Stuart Menn, MD, is a practicing sleep medicine physician and clinical researcher who has made nutrition and supplementation important parts of his medical practice.  His work in sleep medicine, and in obesity as a frequent cause of sleep ailments, required a new approach to diet and supplementation.  His patients have enhanced wellness through replenishment of their nutritional deficiencies.

Two weeks ago, guest Chana Carro discussed some of the background issues and reasons for the incorporation of a spiritual power in the 12 step programs of AA.  This week, she’ll be sharing some of her insights on how the disease of addiction causes spiritual detriment to the individual and their family or loved ones. Many traumas happen during the course of the dis-ease of addiction. Perhaps the greatest tragedy and oft-untreated outcome of addiction is the people exposed to the destructive behaviors of the addict.  Why do people subject themselves to such trauma over years of abuse?  What makes healthy boundaries so hard to maintain?  How often is family survival at the expense of losing the addict?  We’ll be talking about these and other questions with Chana on our next show.

About Ms. Carro
Chana Carro is a Diplomat in Clinical Social Work, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Licensed Independent Substance Abuse Counselor with 24 years’ experience in the treatment of addiction.  Chana has a master’s degree in Social Work.  She is the former Executive Director of Outpatient Services at Seafield Center in Westhampton Beach, NY.  Chana’s post-graduate studies in the Anthropology Department at Arizona State University explored spirituality and addiction, with a special emphasis on addiction in the Jewish Community.  Chana was Associate Faculty at ASU and ASU West and has taught in the Graduate School of Social Work where she developed a specialty course entitled Faith Based Intervention in Social Work Practice.  She is particularly sensitive to the impact of addiction on the whole family system and her research has included work in the Religious Studies Department exploring spirituality as it is expressed in the Twelve Step model of Alcoholics Anonymous.

This week we turn our sights on mental health challenges and strategies to return wellness. We have been redefining the concept of wellness in this series, expanding its scope and strategies for achievement.  Are you getting the message that we are wholly capable of wellness?  Perhaps we should do a 180 and see ill health and many other challenges as imbalances in our “wellness” system.  Is there a way to apply wellness concepts to other areas of our lives?  It’s time to discuss how this works with people actively pursuing their personal recovery of wellness.  Our guests are not professionals but everyday people living the process and finding success through the 5 Recovery Pathways to accomplish their goals, reconnect to themselves and others and develop a renewed sense of meaning and purpose in life.

About Recovery Innovations International
Peer support staff of Recovery Innovations International; “A community of people on their journey to wellness.”  They ascribe to the 9 dimensions of wellness that include social, intellectual, spiritual and occupational dimensions.  Meet Kathy, Yvette, Rebecca, Julie and Mary Jane on the show, and find their organization at www.recoveryinnovations.org

That famous phrase from the 12-step program has been adapted to many different addictive or compulsive behaviors worldwide.  So, how do you get that belief?  And what makes it so ubiquitous that different cultures, people of no faith and those of deep religious belief get the connection to the Higher Power?  Is there something within us all just waiting to be discovered?  Is there a difference between religion and spirituality?  Why is abuse of drugs and alcohol such a spiritual corruptor?  If the mind is such a powerful interface between body and the higher self, why isn’t appropriate use of will enough to handle the problem? Dr. Barksdale’s listeners have been exploring some of the unique aspects of mind with healing and the role of access to the transcendent self to promote wellness. Dr. Barksdale now turn his sights to drug and alcohol abuse. The week’s guest expert, Chana Carro, will shed some light on how spirituality and mind must work together to restore wellness from abuse/addiction across different cultures. 

About Ms. Carro
Chana Carro is a Diplomat in Clinical Social Work, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Licensed Independent Substance Abuse Counselor with 24 years’ experience in the treatment of addiction.  Chana has a Masters degree in Social Work.  She is the former Executive Director of Outpatient Services at Seafield Center in Westhampton Beach, NY.  Chana’s post-graduate studies in the Anthropology Department at Arizona State University explored spirituality and addiction, with a special emphasis on addiction in the Jewish Community.  Chana was Associate Faculty at ASU and ASU West and has taught in the Graduate School of Social Work where she developed a specialty course entitled Faith Based Intervention in Social Work Practice.  She is particularly sensitive to the impact of addiction on the whole family system and her research has included work in the Religious Studies Department exploring spirituality as it is expressed in the Twelve Step model of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Dr. Barksdale’s listeners have been on a journey investigating the power of mind and its ability to benefit us in a manner that encompasses a holistic wellness of body, mind and spirit.  They have heard from internationally known experts on the power of mind to affect the immune system or activate internal healing power.  Science may just be catching up to understanding what so many have believed just by faith and experience. 

What about hypnosis?  You may have seen the stage acts and the read the print ads.  It’s time to look under the hood and see just what makes hypnosis work.  If there is a mind connection to other internal abilities, we want to know about it. Dr. Stafford started out as a business developer.  What does a man who looks at the math behind business proposals find in the science of hypnosis?  Can it benefit anyone?  What’s the difference in stage vs. clinical hypnosis?  These questions and more are the subject of episode 6.

About Dr. Stafford
William Stafford, PhD, is currently the Director and Chief of Therapy for New Dimensions Hypnosis Centers, specializing in alcohol, drug, eating disorders, stuttering and forgiveness.  He wrote the protocol, Rapid Recovery Program using hypnosis for treating drug, alcohol and eating disorders used by many practitioners coast to coast.  Dr. Stafford has been a student, teacher and/or practitioner of hypnosis/hypnotherapy for more than 30 years.  He is a certified instructor and teacher of hypnosis/hypnotherapy for the National Guild of Hypnotists, American Board of Hypnotherapy, as well as the International Hypnosis Federation. His studies overseas have made him a proven lecturer on the mind, body, and spirit connection experience.  Visit Dr. Stafford’s website:  http://www.newdimensionshypnosis.com/

The search for spiritual well being, recognizing our inner connection to the divine, is the first step to more positive outcomes in your life. Nurturing and exploring the divine connectedness can only benefit your spiritual well-being. Meditation is an excellent way to begin the exploration.

One of the wonders of our modern age is the ability to access information quickly and easily. First find a guided meditation program that speaks to your longing for connectedness, then download the program immediately to begin practice. There is a whole spectrum of meditation download or meditation MP3 files available to choose from. Here at 3 As 1, we have put our years of experience in the medical and meditation fields into our Successful Living Series, available in three titles. The Day Creator, the Blessed Union, and the Spiritual Mind Enhancer guided meditation programs are all available for immediate download and use.

Whichever guided meditation download program that you choose, the key is put forth sincere effort to practice and to learn to find that divine connection.

Once we understand that simple act of freeing the mind, meditation can be used for so much more. One of the most productive uses of meditation is to establish a spiritual relationship with God that has the side benefit of blessing our daily activities and keeping us focused on positive outcomes.

Day Creator, the first guided meditation CD in the Successful Living Series, includes training for two types of meditation activities that benefit our minds – universal consciousness at the beginning and ending of each day. In Universal Unity, you will create the spiritual consciousness that will set up the best outcomes for your day. In Relax and Review, you will release tension and negative energies from your day that will promote a healing and peace.

Meditation promotes powerful changes in your life. Learning to meditate and practicing meditation regularly will benefit your work, your health, and your peace of mind.