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Gifted Storyteller’s Journey with Parkinson’s and Other Challenges of a Long Life

Gifted Storyteller’s Journey with Parkinson’s and Other Challenges of a Long Life

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When Parkinson’s disease descended like a dense fog on master storyteller John J. Clayton, he was forced to pivot his perspective, change his expectations and write from a place he calls “… both alive and not alive. Like a kind of ghost …”

Parkinson’s Blues: Stories of My Life begins with the arrival of the dark unexpected. In a Monty Python skit, someone in a drab living room complains about being nagged by ques-tions. “I didn’t expect the Spanish Inquisition,” he complains. Suddenly Michael Palin, in red 16th century costume, bursts into the room. “Nobody Expects the Spanish Inquisition!” he shrieks.

Who expects the onset of Parkinson’s? Or cancer? Or stroke? Or the loss of a child? The terrible surprise—the life we didn’t expect—isn’t limited to Parkinson’s. It’s the existential condition of everyone’s life. In fourteen sketches, John J. Clayton links the experience of PD with the experience of childhood sickness, family battles, the struggle to make a good life out of a painful life. The sketches express the hope that we can grow spiritually in the midst of the terrible.

Through 14 eloquent stories — all of which underscore that Clayton’s gift and spirit remain fully intact — Clayton links the onset of Parkinson’s disease with other unexpected, and challenging experiences.

Parkinson’s Blues explores the anticipated pain and unexpected comedy of Parkinson’s in a manner that is deep, graceful and dignified.

Author John J. Clayton has published nine volumes of fiction, both novels and short stories. His collection of interwoven short stories, Minyan, was published in September 2016; his collection Many Seconds into the Future in 2014. Mitzvah Man, his fourth novel, arrived in 2011.

Clayton’s stories have appeared in AGNI, Virginia Quarterly Review, TriQuarterly, Sewanee Review, over twenty times in Commentary, in Notre Dame Review, Missouri Review and The Journal. Two personal essays have been recently published in Jewish Review of Books. His stories have won prizes in O.Henry Prize Stories, Best American Short Stories, and the Pushcart Prize anthology. His Radiance, a collection of stories, was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award.

Clayton grew up in New York City; received his B.A. at Columbia, his M.A. at NYU and his Ph.D. at Indiana. For much of his career he taught modern literature and fiction writing as professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He has also written two books of literary criticism: Saul Bellow: In Defense of Man and Gestures of Healing, a psychological study of the modern novel.

For more information, please visit www.johnjclayton.com.

Parkinson’s Blues
Publisher: Paragon House
Release Date: September 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-155778943351895
Available from Amazon.com and Amherst Books

Trish Stevens
Karen Anderson
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 2394
Friendswood, TX 77549
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com
281.333.3507 Phone
800.854.2207 Fax

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Holistic, Science-Backed Program Helps Build a Healthier Relationship with Food, Eating and Weight

Holistic, Science-Backed Program Helps Build a Healthier Relationship with Food, Eating and Weight

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Could a dietary lifestyle that nourishes us physically, emotionally, spiritually and socially be the answer to stemming America’s rising tide of overeating and obesity?

Original research points to yes, and in Whole Person Integrative Eating: A Breakthrough Dietary Lifestyle to Treat the Root Causes of Overeating, Overweight, and Obesity, nutrition researcher Deborah Kesten, M.P.H., and behavioral scientist Larry Scherwitz, Ph.D., offer documented proof that by nourishing ourselves multi-dimensionally each time we eat, we can develop deeper, healthier relationships with food and eating that leads to attaining and maintaining weight loss. The authors’ Whole Person Integrative Eating (WPIE) program is not a diet that a person goes on … then off. WPIE is a scientifically sound, dietary lifestyle designed to be practiced for a lifetime.

“If people follow the revolutionary program outlined in this game-changing, insightful book, it may be the most helpful step they can take toward losing weight and keeping it off,” says bestselling author Kenneth Pelletier, M.D., clinical professor of medicine at University of California School of Medicine, San Francisco.

Divided into three parts, Whole Person Integrative Eating begins by describing seven root causes of overeating: Emotional Eating, Food Fretting, Fast Foodism, Sensory Disregard, Task Snacking, Unappetizing Atmosphere and Solo Dining. A Self-Assessment Quiz follows, with 76 questions to help readers identify their unique food choices and eating behaviors that lead to overeating and weight gain. Part Two provides a step-by-step guide to WPIE antidotes for each overeating style. It also explains why the elements of WPIE work and how they can be incorporated into daily life. And Part Three offers over 30 recipes based on the three main criteria of WPIE: fresh, whole and “inverse,” meaning mostly plant-based foods with small or no servings of animal-based foods.

An excerpt from the Foreword of Whole Person Integrative Eating by New York Times best-selling author Dean Ornish, M.D., Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California:

“[The book] offers an evidence-based alternative to the conventional wisdom about attaining and maintaining weight loss. What’s groundbreaking about Kesten and Scherwitz’s re-search is twofold: They have created a scientifically sound, comprehensive, and integrative program for treating overeating, overweight, and obesity based on these principles. And in addition to what (food choices) and how (eating behaviors) we eat, they have identified sev-en statistically significant root reasons to explain why we overeat: what they call “new normal overeating styles” and eating behaviors that also have a profound influence on how much we eat and weigh.”

The authors’ paradigm-shifting message is that food influences not only the physical dimensions of health, but also our emotional, spiritual and social well-being. Their dietary lifestyle can build bridges between the millions who struggle with overeating and weight issues and the medical community. And it can inspire us all to re-envision our relationships with food, eating and weight, so that each time we eat, we are nourished … for life.

Deborah Kesten, M.P.H., is an international nutrition researcher, award-winning author, and medical/health writer, with a specialty in preventing and reversing obesity and heart disease. She served as Nutritionist on Dean Ornish, M.D.’s first clinical trial for reversing heart disease through lifestyle changes, the results of which were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. She has served as Director of Nutrition at cardiovascular clinics in Europe and on the Board of Directors of the American Heart Association, San Francisco, for 10 years.

Kesten has published more than 400 nutrition and health articles. Her first book, Feeding the Body, Nourishing the Soul, received the first-place gold award in the Spirituality category from the Independent Publisher Book Awards. Whole Person Integrative Eating has been honored with the #1 gold, best-book award in the Health category by Book Excellence Awards. She is a VIP Contributor at Arianna Huffington’s Thrive Global, and is married to behavioral scientist and co-author of Whole Person Integrative Eating, Larry Scherwitz, Ph.D.

For more information, please visit www.IntegrativeEating.com. You can also connect with the author on the following social media sites: https://www.instagram.com/integrativeeating/;
https://www.facebook.com/WholePersonIntegrativeEating; https://twitter.com/IntegrativeEat1.

Whole Person Integrative Eating: A Breakthrough Dietary Lifestyle to Treat the Root Causes of Overeating, Overweight, and Obesity
Publisher: White River Press
ISBN-10: 1887043543
ISBN-13: 978-1887043540
Available from Amazon.com and integrativeeating.com

Trish Stevens
Maria Jenson
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 2394
Friendswood, TX 77549
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com
281.333.3507 Phone
800.854.2207 Fax

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Why Buddha Never Had Alzheimer’s: The Answer Can Be Found In Med-itation, Yoga And Music

Why Buddha Never Had Alzheimer’s: The Answer Can Be Found In Med-itation, Yoga And Music

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There are currently 5.8 million people in the U.S. today suffering from Alzheimer’s – a number that is expected to double by the middle of the century. Is it possible to stop or slow down this disease? Award-winning physician, scientist and author, Dr. Shuvendu Sen, says “Yes! It can be reversed, and even stopped altogether.” Dr. Sen shares expert advice and discusses the success being achieved through yoga, meditation and dancing/music therapy in Why Buddha Never Had Alzheimer’s: A Holistic Treatment Approach through Meditation, Yoga and the Arts.

As the population of Americans with this disease continues to increase, so does the burden of caring for them. The cost of Alzheimer’s is staggering! This year alone, the cost for healthcare, long-term care and hospice services for those age 65 and older with dementia are estimated to be around $305 billion. Researchers in top institutions around the country indicate that the contributing factors to the disease (stress/hypertension) can be improved with holistic approaches, such as yoga, meditation, music and virtual reality therapy. We need an innovative breakthrough in order to make a difference; Why Buddha Never Had Alzheimer’s is the guide that can help make these necessary, far-reaching changes in medical care.

“How can meditation and yoga stop or even reverse Alzheimer’s?” he asks. “They set the mind on an inward journey, built on a novel microenvironment where stress and its damaging inflict are permanently thwarted. This bridging of the old and new creates an imperative paradigm shift in our perspective toward managing this disease.”

Listed in the US Top Physician’s list, Dr. Sen is the author of the bestselling book, A Doctor’s Diary, and is the recipient of the Nautilus Book Award, Men of Distinction Award from the New York State Senate, the Oscar Edwards Award from the American College of Physicians, and has been thrice nominated for the Pushcart Award for his columns and other works of fiction.

He has been an invited speaker to address United Nations officials, the New Jersey Senate, the Indian Consulate in New York, the World Book Fair, City University of New York, Harvard University and World Parliament of Religions. He has also been featured on many major television and radio stations.

To learn more about Dr. Sen and Why Buddha Never Had Alzheimer’s, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpaOnasKuDk.

Why Buddha Never Had Alzheimer’s: A Holistic Treatment Approach through Meditation, Yoga and the Arts
HCI Publishers
Also translated into French by the prestigious Hachette Foundation
ISBN-10: 0757319947
ISBN-13: 978-0757319945
Available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Trish Stevens
Teresa Hinojosa
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 2394
Friendswood, TX 77549
832.569.5773 Direct
281.333.3507 Phone
800.854.2207 Fax
[email protected]
ascotmedia.com

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50+ And Healthy Examines The Importance Of Mental Health As We Age

50+ And Healthy Examines The Importance Of Mental Health As We Age

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The worldwide stay-at-home orders have turned weekend warriors into daily dog walkers, joggers and cyclists — all hoping to stay fit and avoid the “quarantine 15.” But there’s more to being healthy than having a fit physique. Mental health is equally important, but often gets buried beneath the stigma surrounding it.

“Many of you recognize that mental illness is often a taboo subject … due to seeming com-plexity, mystery and stigma,” explains Murali Rao, MD. “Unfortunately, the high discrimina-tion of the subject leads to a statistic of nearly two-thirds of the world population refusing to seek help for mental health related issues.” Adding: “Though this primer is directed towards learning to help elders, the material can readily apply to any age group.”

Rao, an expert on clinical geriatrics and geriatric psychiatry, addresses the concepts of men-tal health and mental illnesses in the overarching context of healthy aging in 50+ and Healthy: What You Need to Know About Mental Health and Healthy Aging — for You and Your Loved Ones. This exceptionally strong, evidence-based guide emphasizes the im-portance of nurturing our mental health as we grow older.

Using easy-to-understand language, he explores common health-related conditions, how to recognize symptoms, practical approaches to treatments and his GAME PLANTM method for helping yourself and your loved ones, of any age, during times of distress or mental health crises.

For readers of any educational and professional background, 50+ and Healthy offers easily presented information and relatable case studies.

With this book, you can learn from a world authority about:

  1. Healthy aging and mental health
  2. Common mental illnesses, why people get them, how to identify them and how to manage them
  3. Practical approaches for first aid and later interventions
  4. Self-care for mental health and successful aging

If you are interested in healthy aging and how to help yourself, your family members and your friends with mental health, this book is for you. All proceeds from book sales go to a nonprofit organization engaged in mental health awareness education in the United States and India (www.nndcifoundation.org), founded by Dr. Murali Rao.

Author Murali Rao, MD, is a professor and chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago. He specializes in liaison and emergency psychiatry. Additionally, he serves as a member of multiple professional bodies including the American College of Psychiatrists, the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine, CINP, the Indian Psychiatric Society and serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA).

Dr. Rao has received multiple awards and fellowships, including Distinguished Life Fellow by the APA, Outstanding Academician Award by the Indo-American Psychiatric Association and the Master Teacher Award by the Stritch School of Medicine. Dr. Rao has also had more than 80 journal publications, books and book-chapters. He has recently published trainee and trainer manuals on Adult Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Workplace Mental Health.

For more information, please visit www.nndcifoundation.org, or follow the author on Twitter at @MuraliRaoMD.

50 + and Healthy: What You Need to Know About Mental Health and Healthy Aging — for You and Your Loved Ones
Publisher: Loyola University Chicago
ISBN-10: 1735177504
ISBN-13: 978-1735177502
Available from Amazon.com

Trish Stevens
Terri Lynn Polk
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 2394
Friendswood, TX 77549
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com
281.333.3507 Phone
800.854.2207 Fax

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Safeguard Your Emotional Health During Any Crisis With These 7 Practical Steps

Safeguard Your Emotional Health During Any Crisis With These 7 Practical Steps

(This press release may be reprinted in part or entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet, or used by any means of social media sharing)

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In our interconnected world, global events impact all of us in one way or another. Knowing how to help ourselves, our families and our organizations navigate a crisis can profoundly affect our emotional health and well-being.

7 Keys to Navigating a Crisis: A Practical Guide to Emotionally Dealing with Pandemics & Other Disasters is a must-read for anyone seeking to thrive during challenging times. Written by clinical psychologist Elia Gourgouris and change management expert Konstantinos Apostolopoulos, this easy-to-read book offers powerful, yet practical, insights to help minimize the negative emotional impact of pandemics, natural disasters, financial challenges and other major disruptions.

“Not only will individuals and families find the book helpful in a crisis, so will first responders, healthcare professionals, mental health counselors and wellness coaches,” said Dr. Gourgouris.

Drawing from their real-world experiences, Dr. Gourgouris and Apostolopoulos explain the following seven keys to navigating any crisis:

  1. Start with self-care. Be aware of your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs.
  2. Practice awareness. Listen to your intuition or inner wisdom.
  3. Choose flexibility so you can adapt, pivot and avoid unnecessary pain.
  4. Act now! Preparation is key to your survival.
  5. Take initiative by moving into action. Become the navigator in your life’s journey!
  6. Cultivate a positive attitude filled with faith and hope.
  7. Show kindness to others.

“Each chapter has an end section including points to ponder, questions to consider and action steps to take, so the reader can move beyond just surviving to thriving in a crisis situation,” added Apostolopoulos.

Author Elia Gourgouris, PhD, is the Founder of The Happiness Center, an organization of world-leading experts in the field of positive psychology. Dr. Elia’s previous book, 7 Paths to Lasting Happiness, became an Amazon #1 best-seller. He is an international keynote speaker and happiness expert focusing on corporate wellness and leadership training. He holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology and is a UCLA graduate. Dr. Elia is certified by the American Red Cross in Disaster Mental Health Services, having assisted in the 1994 Los Angeles and 2010 Haiti earthquakes, the 1999 Columbine High School shooting and other crises. He’s the co-host of The Kindness Happiness Connection podcast and a Thrive Global contributor. Please visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thehappinessdoctor/, https://www.instagram.com/dr.eliag/ or https://www.facebook.com/DrElia.

Co-author Konstantinos Apostolopoulos is the Founder and CEO of Fresh Biz Solutions, a performance consulting and training provider. As an award-winning facilitator and coach, he has successfully delivered hundreds of custom learning events in the US, Canada and Europe for diverse audiences and industries. He is a regular contributor to Thrive Global and other industry publications. As a young man in Greece, he experienced firsthand the devastation left behind by natural and economic disasters. As an adult, he was fortunate to help play a small part in the rebuilding efforts in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Today, he helps others navigate the challenges brought by major events in their lives. Please visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachkon/.

For more information, please visit www.dreliagourgouris.com; http://freshbizsolutions.com/; or
https://www.thehappinesscenter.com/.

7 Keys to Navigating a Crisis: A Practical Guide to Emotionally Dealing with Pandemics & Other Disasters
Publisher: The Happiness Center
ISBN-10: 1734943815
ISBN-13: 978-1734943818
Available from Amazon.com

Trish Stevens
Terri Lynn Polk
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 2394
Friendswood, TX 77549
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com
281.333.3507 Phone
800.854.2207 Fax

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Cook Delicious, Healthy Food That Actually Makes You Feel Better With The Recipes In My Pinewood Kitchen

Cook Delicious, Healthy Food That Actually Makes You Feel Better With The Recipes In My Pinewood Kitchen

(This press release may be reprinted in part or entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet, or used by any means of social media sharing)

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Mee McCormick understands only too well the importance of healthy food, having watched her single mother suffer with a host of debilitating auto-immune diseases, some of which she inherited, that led her to make the decision in her mid-twenties to change her own fate. Today, chef and author Mee McCormick is an expert who healed herself of Crohn’s disease, gut issues, and other immune system challenges with whole food recipes when doctors couldn’t help her.

Offering microbiome-friendly meals with a Southern spin, My Pinewood Kitchen: A Southern Culinary Cure, is a follow-up cookbook to her wildly successful, life-enhancing My Kitchen Cure. Mee is living proof that you can change your fate by what’s on your plate and her recipes will help heal your gut and fight a host of autoimmune diseases. With over 130 mouthwatering, whole foods recipes that can be customized for Keto, Paleo, or vegans, it truly is an “all-inclusive” eating plan for everyone in the family.

From smoothies, soups and salads, to dinners and desserts, every recipe in the book is gluten-free and gut-friendly. Mee has since forged the way for a new kind of hospitality: a fully-inclusive table where everyone can eat delicious Southern comfort classics without sacrificing taste, regardless of even the most severe food allergies or dietary restrictions – all while stressing the importance of intestinal health and how to improve your own gut microbiome. Her book shows us which foods are nutritional powerhouses and which ones we must avoid, and how to eat real food every day without breaking the bank.

Mee McCormick is a rising Southern culinary and wellness innovator, restaurateur, author, TV cooking personality, farmer, rancher, wife and mother. She splits her time between Nashville and nearby Nunnelly, Tennessee; a tiny, unincorporated community in Hickman County; home to her biodynamic farm and restaurant Pinewood Kitchen & Mercantile – that is unique in that every meal is created with the intention to serve everyone with the same deliciousness, regardless of dietary restrictions. In fact, some members of the community drive hours to get a taste of her farm-to-table cuisine and her mouthwatering Pinewood’s Grain-Free Fried Chicken!

Mee authored her first cookbook My Kitchen Cure, which led to wild success and a book deal with HCI for her second cookbook, My Pinewood Kitchen, published in April 2020. She frequently appears on Today in Nashville, and she participates in nationally-recognized food festivals and events, spreading the same level of care and hospitality to audiences everywhere that she has become known for throughout the state of Tennessee. Visit: www.meemccormick.com or www.pinewoodkitchenandmercantile.com.

My Pinewood Kitchen: A Southern Culinary Cure/130+ Crazy Delicious, Gluten-Free Recipes to Reduce Inflammation and Make Your Gut Happy
By Mee McCormick
HCI BOOKS / $26.95
ISBN: 9780757323522
Available wherever books are sold

Trish Stevens
Sophie Carter
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 2394
Friendswood, TX 77549
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com
281.333.3507 Phone
800.854.2207 Fax

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Insightful Writings On Website Share How We Can Learn To Connect With Our Higher Power

Insightful Writings On Website Share How We Can Learn To Connect With Our Higher Power

(This press release may be reprinted in part or entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet, or used by any means of social media sharing)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Dr. Pieter Noomen completed his doctoral studies in theology and pastoral psychology in Amsterdam. He later moved to Los Angeles and worked as a psychotherapist and as a staff member of a church – involved in mental health issues such as suicide prevention and hospice. A humble man who believed his background was not at all spectacular but, in reality, he was a true scholar.

A drastic change took place in Dr. Noomen’s life many years ago that allowed him to take a journey of communication with a presence on his innermost spiritual level. In order to share these experiences, he set up a website, www.wordsforall.org, so that anyone would be able to learn how to connect with their Higher Power. Sadly, Dr. Noomen passed away in 2019, but his website remains open for anyone interested in connecting with their Creator to learn from his insightful writings. He wasn’t selling anything or seeking publicity; he just wanted to help others learn from his experiences.

The content of the website is unique in that it addresses each human being alive today. “Being in life, as we all are, means that we are, without exception, connected with the source of that life. That connection can be a very conscious and personal one. It is available through the very fact that we all have life,” said Noomen.

An example from Dr. Noomen’s insightful writings at www.wordsforall.org on ‘Life:’

What a trap to think that life can end. ‘Death’ is just a different configuration. All that is in existence can be changed. To be of use is why we all do have life. Usefulness is the only measure for behavior. Oneness, love, life, are all equal. The I AM ‘is’ life. All stems from that fact. For us here, just being in life is ‘it’. Living connects us with its Source. We’re fake if we deny it, yet can wake up.

Trish Stevens
Dawn Sanders
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 2394
Friendswood, TX 77549
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com
281.333.3507 Phone
800.854.2207 Fax

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