The CHAI Circle will host Ann Marie Chiasson, M.D., M.P.H., author of “Energy Healing: The Essentials of Self Care” at its 11th annual retreat next month. A program of Jewish Family & Children’s Services, CHAI Circle is a support group for women in the Jewish community with a history… Read more »
Mind, Body & Spirit
A bump in the road turned into a Ride to Conquer Cancer
(Heritage Florida Jewish News via JTA) – It all started with a little bump on his neck. Now Jason Mendelsohn is on a mission to conquer cancer and spread the word about human papilloma virus-related cancer, or HPV. In April 2014, Mendelsohn was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, which… Read more »
Milk and Honey center for breastfeeding and postpartum support opens
Opening Milk and Honey Breastfeeding and Postpartum Support Center is a dream that was a long time coming for co-owners Nina Isaac and Crissi Blake. The women met 15 years ago, after Isaac’s first child was born. “My baby was colicky and Crissi taught infant massage,” says Isaac. “It… Read more »
Jewish women’s eggs are hot commodity, but are they ‘kosher’?
ROCKVILLE, Md. (Washington Jewish Week via JTA) – Laura has donated her eggs four times to women who needed help having children. “It gave me a real sense of purpose,” she said. “It really is a great personal pleasure to know that I have something that changes someone’s life.”… Read more »
Community input needed to help UA Sarver Heart Center launch a clinical research study for cardiac arrest patients
University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center researchers are seeking community input on a clinical trial that requires qualified patients to be enrolled when they are unconscious and unable to give consent. This study may improve care for all cardiac arrest patients. Cardiac arrest is a major public health issue,… Read more »
Why the Boston Marathon’s last-place runner earned his medal
BOSTON (JTA) —Twenty hours after the start of Monday’s Boston Marathon, Venezuelan long-distance runner Maickel Melamed crossed the finish line, prompting an impromptu City Hall ceremony in his honor later that morning. Melamed finished far behind the marathon’s winners, but he nonetheless received a medal. That’s because Melamed, who is Jewish,… Read more »
Rabbi touts holistic, kabalistic path to health
Good health and happiness can be achieved, says Rabbi Manis Friedman. During his talk, “A Healthy, Joyous and Fulfilling Life, A Holistic and Kabalistic Perspective,” attended by about 50 people on May 26 at the Tucson Jewish Community Center, Friedman highlighted ways for people to look at life and… Read more »
CHAI Circle, local women’s cancer support group, entering bat mitzvah year
On Sunday, March 8, 18 Jewish women gathered at the Tucson Jewish Community Center for brunch, inspiration and guided schmoozing. Most of the women were not strangers. Some have been meeting regularly for nearly 13 years; others have joined the group more recently; two were attending for the first… Read more »
‘Social net’ key to averting PTSD, IDF expert tells Tucsonans
What’s the best question to ask a person after a traumatic event? Hint: It’s not, “How do you feel?” Instead, ask “What do you want to do?” or “How did you react?” says Eyal Fruchter, M.D., former head of psychiatry for the Israel Defense Forces. Recounting feelings may get… Read more »
Eating disorders on the rise, says Jewish psychologist
Eating disorders are associated with a higher rate of mortality than any other mental illness, a fact that may not be widely known among the general population. As many as 20 percent of people suffering from anorexia will prematurely die from complications related to their disorder, according to a… Read more »
Autism self-advocate honored for inclusion work
When Ari Ne’eman was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome at age 12, his life changed. Administrators at the Conservative Jewish day school that Ne’eman had attended for years said they were not comfortable serving an autistic student, so he ended up transferring to a “segregated special-ed school.” Later, instead of… Read more »
In troubling world, positive psychology offers tools to cultivate happiness
Continuing strife in the Middle East, the worldwide growth of terrorism, economic struggles from a complex global marketplace … there is no shortage of stress inducers in today’s world. We can dwell on the dark side, or focus our thoughts and actions on what’s good in the world and… Read more »
Local woman is champion for mental health recovery
Mindy Bernstein, executive director of the Coyote Task Force, a local behavioral health agency, landed in Tucson in 1976. She wasn’t sure then what her path would be, but she never imagined a career in mental health advocacy. “I’ve been working in public behavioral health since 1986,” Bernstein told… Read more »
Despite myths, domestic violence occurs in Jewish homes
To you, a Jewish woman of any age who has been abused by her loved one. You may be feeling despair, sadness, anger, anxiety or overwhelming fear, but know that you are not alone. There is hope for a new life for you! Dream about a happier life for… Read more »
Recovery changed my life, inspired career helping others
Two weeks ago, at the gym, I met a man who had lost both feet to frostbite after getting lost while snowboarding. He was a professional hockey player who had become a professional snowboarder, until suddenly this happened. There was nothing about his appearance or personality to indicate that… Read more »
In psychology and in Judaism, local woman keeps mind and heart open
The love of learning has been a powerful motivator for Julie Feldman, Ph.D. From spending her formative years in Geneva, Switzerland, with her family, to revamping a desire to become a physician, Feldman, 46, finds joy in expanding her world. Now a clinical assistant professor in psychology at the… Read more »
Remembering when doctors made house calls
When I was in elementary school, on occasion I would miss school because of illness. Usually I would be suffering from a sore throat. If I had a fever, my mother would summon the doctor. In those days, the doctor made house calls, and our family doctor would give… Read more »
PSA discoverer crusades against prostate cancer test
In 1970, Dr. Richard J. Ablin discovered the PSA, or prostate-specific antigen, which has been widely used as a screening test for prostate cancer since 1994. That test, he says, is a terrible mistake — a disaster that spawned a multi-billion dollar industry and has destroyed millions of men’s… Read more »
Living with muscular dystrophy, Tucson man inspires
It was an exciting day for Julian Dombrowski and his family in early May, when he was accepted into an online graduate program in creative writing at Southern New Hampshire University. Dombrowski, 32, is wheelchair-bound with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a muscle disease that begins in childhood. The illness affects… Read more »
After losing Ayelet, Galenas find joy with new baby, thanks to NIH breakthrough
NEW YORK (JTA) – Even before their daughter, Ayelet Galena, was diagnosed with a rare bone marrow disease called dyskeratosis congenita around her first birthday, parents Hindy Poupko and Seth Galena knew they wanted to have more children. But once the diagnosis arrived, the couple had a dilemma: There… Read more »