Disease, illness, and other physical and mental difficulties are serious issues which we can prevent only with awareness, sustained dedication, and conscious effort. Part of this effort should go toward making time to unwind and take a break too. In our busy world, it's sometimes easy to make fun and personal time a low priority. In addition to healthy eating and exercise, social connections have been proven to strengthen us against illness and disease. The title of this post is a quote by ee cummings and was found on the webpage for the Cancer Treatment Centers of America. The CTCA offers humor therapy sessions to help cancer patients and their families use and enjoy laughter as a tool for healing. Although there is some debate in medical research as to the details and amount of benefit laughing provides in preventing and treating illness, there can be no argument that laughing decreases stress and makes us feel good. So, e mālama i kou kino and yuk it up today, and remember, "half the fun in laughter, as well as in healing, is sharing it."*For more, just web surf using "Laughter Therapy" - there are plenty of sites, but here's a small sampling:News articles:NPRABCPatch AdamsResearch articles:2007. Hayashi et al. Laughter modulates prorenin receptor gene expression in patients with type 2 diabetes.2006. Bennett and Lengacher. Humor and laughter may influence health: II.Complementary therapies and humor in a clinical population.*2003. Balick & Lee. The role of laughter in traditional medicine and its relevance to the clinical setting: healing with Ha!If you know some clean ;) jokes, websites, stories, maybe share the laughs with us on our Group page. It's about finals time, we could use some extra cheer.
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I took a short walk tonight – it was a beautiful night despite the humid and voggy conditions we’ve been having lately. I could not help but notice the Hua moon, full and bright. Well, Saturday is the night of Hoku (full moon), an important time for many activities, including planting of lāʻau, and so here is some moon-related info.Maoliworld resourcesKaulana Mahina, Maoliworld Group, created by Aunty KaleiLunar phases, video of Kalei (Tshua) Nuʻuhiwa, courtesy of Noʻeau, 2009The Native Hawaiian Moon Calendar, blog post by Jon Ching, 2008ʻIke Mahina, forum topic created by ʻOhukaniʻōhiʻa, 2008Other sources of info regarding kaulana mahinaThe Jhamandas Watumull Planetarium, Bishop MuseumThe Hawaiian Moon Calendar, Hina AdventuresLunar Days, KCCHawaiian Antiquities, David Malo, PDF, courtesy of Bishop Museum; widely available on the internet (Google Books, etc.) if you don't want to download a PDFHawaiian nights of the moon, a chapter from Maori Division of TimeEmail requests for very informative newsletters courtesy of Kalei (Tsuha) Nuʻuhiwa to hawaiianmooncalendar@yahoo.comNews articlesConnecting with the past, INPEACE perpetuates Hawaiian culture through outdoor classrooms, Honolulu Advertiser, 2008Hawaiian moon calendar, article by Paul Wood in Maui Magazine, 2006Hawaiian way is to let moon guide planting, article by Duane Choy, Honolulu Advertiser, 2005NASAThe Lunar Science Forum, July 21 – 23, 2009Picture of the century, Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project Update“The Moon”, Lunar and Planetary Science ProgramWhat is your experience with gardening by moon cycles? Feel free to also join us on our group page to share your stories and insight.What the heck is a "bower" and who said that quote?A bower is a "shady leafy shelter in a wood or garden", and it was William Blake (1757 – 1827) in the poem "Night"------------------------------------For those in the UH Mānoa lāʻau lapʻau classes, don't forget to review your planting notes for the final on Thursday! The resources above will help you further your knowledge of best planting times.-----------------------------------
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Nanakuli family's struggle now spans four generationsSunday, September 7, 2008By Will HooverAdvertiser Staff WriterMonica Bell is able to remain calm and cheerful even as her legs swell and ache, and she's feeling nauseous — frequent reminders of the diabetes that has laid waste to three generations of her family and taken hold of a fourth.Like many who feel fine early on despite having diabetes, Bell paid little heed to her illness after she was diagnosed 20 years ago.No more.Today, she's going blind and diabetes rules her very life."I get sick on a daily basis," said Bell. "It's a nasty disease. It's with me at all times. It never goes away. Every day it is a challenge."Her Hawaiian family has suffered profoundly because of diabetes, and to see what it has done to them is to witness the epidemic proportions the disease has reached on the Wai'anae Coast, where Bell and her family live on Mano Avenue in Nanakuli.The disease killed Monica's father, and several of his siblings. Her mother, whose kidney failure is a result of diabetes, spends four hours three times a week attached to a dialysis machine. All three of Monica's sisters have diabetes and take daily insulin injections, as do Monica and her mother.Monica's daughter, Taryn-Courtney Bell — TC to those who know her — was diagnosed with diabetes when she was only 6. At 13, she has been on insulin injections more than half her life. And last year Monica's son, Alika, 16, was also diagnosed with diabetes.As for Bell herself, diabetes has robbed her of the ability to drive, hold a job, walk easily, or ever again enjoy a sense of well-being. The vision in her right eye is gone, and although she still has limited sight in her left eye, she's unable to focus. Even the sight she has left could eventually fade."I do think about the future," she said. "And it is scary. I think you just have to get tight control on your diabetes. You probably can't get better. But you maybe can prevent it from getting worse."Household caretakerOf those who live in the Bell household, only Monica's husband, Gino, a truck driver, does not have diabetes. But the disease has affected his life all the same and rendered him the household caretaker."Gino does everything for me and our kids," said Monica, 38, who married Gino Bell in 1992. "He's just wonderful. He has things he likes to do — he fishes and surfs. But before he does anything, he makes sure that the family is doing well."He has altered his diet to meet the improving eating habits of his family. He dashes to the store on short notice at all hours. Since Monica can no longer see to drive, Gino juggles his work schedule and takes vacation days to accommodate various doctor and dialysis appointments, eye examinations, American Diabetes Association functions, or the diabetes classes his two children attend at the Kaiser Nanaikeola Clinic every month."I'm like the backbone," said Gino, 47, who has worked 17 years for a firm that subcontracts to the military. "I've saved up a lot of hours, so I can help out, taking them here and there."He says he is grateful to be able to do it.His pleasant disposition can be a calming influence on a family often straining simply to function, according to his wife.'Lot of starches'Monica's mother, Archidalia Kawa'a, 64, frets about her fellow Hawaiians who suffer in great numbers from the disease, yet tend to be the last and least to seek treatment, because of cultural pride, shame or a lack of health insurance. By the time many do reach out for medical assistance it's often too late, she says."Diabetes is terrible," said Kawa'a. "My husband, John, had both his legs amputated because of it. He died at 59. His mother died at 49. His father died at about 54. I have diabetes. All four of my daughters have diabetes, and my grandchildren have diabetes."Furthermore, those in the community who are diagnosed in time to make a difference frequently fail to heed doctors' warnings that they should exercise, eat healthy, and manage their sugar levels, she says. Since they don't feel ill or exhibit symptoms in the beginning, they are less inclined to work out or give up fast foods and snacks."It's a way of life in Hawai'i," she said. "That's how we eat since we were young — lot of starches."Monica Bell, for instance, wasn't especially bothered when she was diagnosed in 1988 as a senior at Nanakuli High and Intermediate School. She didn't know much about the disease, and although she was overweight, she considered herself generally fit.Her concern rose after her mother was diagnosed a short time later, she says. When her father became seriously ill in the late 1990s, "it opened my eyes to what diabetes is."Still, she didn't alter her habits. By the time her father died on Christmas Day in 2002, she could no longer see well enough to drive. The following year, because of her failing eyesight and debilitating nerve damage in her legs, Bell left her job and began collecting Social Security benefits.She is stoic about the outcome."It was my own fault. I never listened. But now I'm trying to do my best because I've got to help my kids out."For her the alarm bells rang loudest when her daughter was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, the kind that has stricken the rest of the family and a form of the disease once associated with older adults."She was so young," she said. "Even the doctors were surprised."pushing healthy lifestyleA genetic susceptibility associated with type 2 diabetes can be triggered by behavioral factors such as obesity and a sedentary lifestyle. There is also evidence that diabetes may run in families, according to experts.Today, Monica worries that TC and Alika won't take diabetes seriously until they're suffering from the permanent or life-threatening effects.TC tends to eat too much and not the right foods, Monica says. Alika, who is lean and trim at 5 feet 10 and 155 pounds, doesn't eat enough of anything. And for the diabetic, eating too little can be as worrisome as pigging out on fries and double cheeseburgers.So their mother pushes them both to watch their diets and take their meds."I tell them, 'You don't want to end up like me.' "To that end, she and Gino encourage TC and Alika to attend two-hour interactive diabetes classes at Kaiser Permanente's Nanaikeola Clinic in Nanakuli, where a doctor, nurse practitioner, dietitian and behavior medicine specialist guide the Bell children and two other young diabetics through the various aspects of managing their disease.While the purpose is serious, the classes are low-pressure, light-hearted affairs in which the participants prepare healthy meals, compete on computer games aimed at diabetes education, and discuss useful ways of coping with their disease.The sessions include playful physical exercises, such as a vigorous match of balloon volleyball, or no-net ping pong waged across conference room tables shoved together. Invariably, these exercises culminate in raucous balloon popping or wild ping pong ball batting, but not before everyone — clinical staff included — has had a good workout.going for the veggiesThere are even encouraging signs that some of it may be achieving the desired effect. In a recent class, dietitian Justin Miyashiro watched as the kids whipped up a batch of healthy dill dip and served it with a platter of delicately prepared celery sticks, cut carrots, and sliced mushrooms and cucumbers.Not only did Alika polish off a plate of vegetables and dip, he quietly returned for seconds, which he also finished. Likewise, TC said she enjoyed the food — "Especially the mushrooms! I like them. We've got to get some of this stuff."As the class was winding down, Miyashiro threw the discussion open to suggestions for next month's healthy meal."Portuguese sausage with eggs," piped up Alika."Is that healthy?" wondered Miyashiro."OK," replied Alika, to the laughter of all present, "Portuguese sausage and eggs — with tofu."Reach Will Hoover at whoover@honoluluadvertiser.com.
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Hawaiian herbal healing kept alive at universityby Leah Gouker, Ka Leo Contributing WriterIssue date: 10/12/05 Section: NewsThe Center for Hawaiian Studies has the only curriculum in the nation that has institutionalized a traditional healing practice.Levon Ohai began teaching lā`au lapa`au, the Hawaiian practice of herbal healing, at UHM in 2001. "What we're offering here is one of a kind," he said."[It's] a process of restoration," Ohai said.Uala Lenta teaches the introductory course. She was raised in south Kona, where her mother regularly used Hawaiian and other herbal remedies. Lenta has been learning the practice of lā`au lapa`au from Ohai for the last four years.Lenta's class involves identifying the plants and their characteristics, a skill needed before students move into Ohai's advanced classes."I try to practice as much as I can because the more you practice, the better you get," said Lenta, who believes the craft should be used in each students personal life. "It is one thing in saying 'this plant is good for this,' but you can say 'yeah I used it and it works.'""The only way to preserve Hawaiian culture is to practice and take action," Lenta said. "The only way to keep the language alive is to speak it, so the only way to keep lā`au lapa`au alive is to practice and teach it. So that's exactly what this is."Ohai said that teaching lā`au lapa`au at UH has its problems."You can't do it the way it was really done, but at least there is some semblance of it here," he said.Lenta agreed that it can be difficult to teach lā`au lapa`au, which is as much spiritual as it is physical, in the university setting."Usually there is just one teacher with just one haumana [student], who usually trains for years," she said. "This way it can get passed on to more people."Graduate student Anna Holt is enrolled in the Hawaiian Medicinal Herbs introductory course. She says the opportunity to learn lā`au lapa`au serves as a reminder."For Hawaiian people, it's important to remember the way that people used to heal themselves, and they're still applicable," she said. "It just reinforces the knowledge that Hawaiian people have and used to have. I think, like anything, you can't let anything be forgotten."Anthony Ortiz, a plant pathology graduate student, said he loves Lenta's class. "I think it's really important to practice traditional methods of life, period," he said. Ortiz often uses his knowledge of herbs to heal himself. "People are always getting sick, or if you're like me, always getting cuts and bruises," he said. "Usually if I get hurt, there's something right next to me to cure me."Ohai said he is very thankful to the university for making this opportunity possible. "Its objective is to share the knowledge," he said. "That's what the students like - anything that's new. That's progress, that's progression to me.""It's been received very well out here by the students," Ohai said. "Most of them come from a range of backgrounds: medical, botany, biology, nursing and broader areas like engineering and English."Lenta has 42 students in her class although the number of student places available is 30. "I don't want to turn anyone away if they want to learn," Lenta said. "This subject is so personalized and I want to work one-on-one with everyone, but it is difficult."Ohai was born and raised on Kaua`i. His grandfather passed the lā`au lapa`au knowledge down to him, and he comes from a long family line of practitioners. Although he is teaching fulltime at UH, he continues to practice."I get calls every week," he said. Most of his patients are people he doesn't know personally. "It's just by word of mouth, probably.""We don't deal with treatment; we deal with healing and cures," Ohai said. "If you know what to take, how much to take and when to take - those are the three important questions."Ohai says people tend to associate price with quality when it comes to medicine. "But it is not so with the herbs. The herbs are true and honest," he said. "If you take it, you will be healed."Andrew Affleck contributed to this article.
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There have been some troubling findings in health news recently. Gertraud Maskarinec and colleagues from the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii found that, regardless of weight, diabetes was at least two times more common among ethnic groups than whites.Also, from a Honolulu Advertiser article: More people are visiting community health centers which provide medical, dental and mental health services to underserved populations, including the uninsured, under-insured, low-income people, immigrants, the elderly, those who live in rural areas and the homeless. Although patient use is increasing, current funding will not provide for program growth. Emmanuel Kintu, Kalihi-Palama Health Center executive director, said his center saw a 21 percent increase in the number of uninsured people it served in 2008, compared with 2007. He said many of the uninsured had recently lost their jobs or seen big cuts to their work hours. Kintu said the tough economic times are forcing his center and others statewide to consider some difficult choices to stay afloat. Those could include turning patients away, he said, or laying off workers.During these tough times, we urge everyone to take responsibility for improving their health and the health of their families. Lā‘au lapa‘au is a cost-effective, natural way to increase physical, mental, and spiritual health, and it’s something you can easily do for yourself. We hope that you try to eat well, sleep, exercise, drink lots of water, and try to decrease stress (maybe through exercise, laughter, meditation, reflecting on the good stuff in your life). Also, incorporating koa (warriors) such as nīoi (chili pepper), ‘ōlena (tumeric), kalika (garlic), and awapuhi (ginger) will strengthen your body. These koa are easy to find and easy to add to your diet. But to learn more, visit our event on April 17. For more info, there's a listing under Events. Please feel free to contact us also.
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