Black Sheep: A Blue-Eyed Negro Speaks of Abandonment, Belonging, Racism, and Redemption (This press release may be reprinted in part or in its entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet or used by any means of social media sharing.)
With an afterword by My Haley, PhD, widow of Alex Haley, famed author of Roots and Malcom X
Ray Studevent walked hesitantly toward the door of the nursing home and prayed that his Momma, now in the throes of dementia, would recognize him. Surely, the blue eyes would give him away. The blue eyes that his Momma originally equated with hatred and brutality.
White on the outside, Black on the inside, Ray grew up on the eastern side of the Anacostia River, the Blackest part of the Blackest city in America not long after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the D.C. race riots. There were guidelines if you were Black; different rules if you were White; but only mixed messages for mixed-race children like Ray, who had to fight for acceptance and struggle to find his identity.
Black Sheep: A Blue-Eyed Negro Speaks of Abandonment, Belonging, Racism, and Redemption is the unforgettable true story of Ray’s struggles as a mixed-race boy learning to fight the ghosts of his past to find trust and love. Abandoned by his White, heroin-addicted mother and Black, violently alcoholic father, Ray found salvation at age 5 when he was adopted into a loving, stable home by his father’s uncle Calvin and his wife, Lemell. But that is just the beginning of the story.
Lemell is suddenly widowed and must raise Ray and her two daughters as a single mother in Chocolate City. Each time she looks into Ray’s blue eyes, she sees the Klansmen who tormented her family as she grew up in segregated Mississippi.
Ray and Lemell must navigate the minefields of society’s outward racial tensions while inwardly, Lemell does her best to overlook her emotional scars and suppress her justifiable resentment toward White people when she looks into Ray’s blue eyes.
Black Sheep takes readers on an emotional journey and reveals universal truths through faith and great humor. It is a search for who we are, where we fit and who we can become. Imagine a book where The Notebook meets The Help.
About the Author Ray “Ben” Studevent was a mixed-race child whose unique look led him to fight a racial identity crisis his entire life. Each time he entered a room, he had to decide whether it was better to be Black or White. His personal and career journeys ebbed and flowed, taking him to prison, fatherhood and gigs in comedy clubs, modeling and stock-market research. In all these varied experiences, he realized that race played a critical role. Visit his website at: raystudevent.com.
Black Sheep Publisher: HCI Books Release Date: May 4, 2021 ISBN-10: 0757323812 ISBN-13: 978-0757323812 Trade Paperback, 288 pages Available wherever books are sold
Trish Stevens Lindsey Mach Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
Break the Fear Cycle: Brain Expert Shares Advice for Building Resilience During Challenging Times
(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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Forced social isolation, shuttered businesses and canceled or scaled-down worship services have contributed to an overwhelming sense of loss and fear among people all over the world. And there’s a scientific reason for these emotions, explains Timothy R. Jennings, M.D., board-certified psychiatrist, master psychopharmacologist and founder of Come and Reason Ministries.
Dr. Jennings is a much sought-after speaker who regularly addresses non-medical professionals on the subjects of Spirituality in Medicine, Depression and its Spiritual and Physical Connections, and Alzheimer’s Dementia. He also speaks to medical professionals on the topics of Psychotherapy in Clinical Practice, Major Depression in the Primary Care Setting, and the Neurobiology of Depression — among many others.
He describes how the measures taken to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 can have physiological and psychological impacts that, like dominoes, will topple our sources of strength and resilience.
“Research shows that social rejection, isolation and loneliness activate the brain’s stress pathways, thereby increasing inflammatory factors, diminishing immune response and increasing vulnerability to viral infections and cancer, and make you less resilient in life,” he says.
In the shadow of government mandates that restrict our interactions with others, what can we do within our four walls to build our resilience and guard our overall wellbeing?
Dr. Jennings suggests we can boost our resilience through physical exercise, eating a healthy diet, getting regular sleep, cognitive training, having a healthy relationship with God and spiritual development — measures that can actually alter the way our brains react to stress.
“Healthy spirituality confers resilience in a multitude of ways,” he says. “It develops your higher cortex, which calms your fear circuits. You have less fear and you’re less anxious if you’ve got a developed prefrontal cortex. And if you have a loving relationship with a God you trust, that’s part of your prefrontal cortex. And if people have more love, they have less fear.”
Another part of our prefrontal cortex is altruism — something those with healthy spirituality are more likely to engage in — and helping others also calms fear circuits.
Our ability to face a crisis and bounce back is, in part, inherited from our parents and even grandparents through our genetic makeup, Dr. Jennings explains. But through a combination of mental, physical and spiritual adaptive measures, we can boost our resilience and improve our ability to overcome life’s challenges.
Dr. Timothy R. Jennings operates a private practice in Chattanooga and has successfully treated thousands of patients. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and Life-Fellow of the Southern Psychiatric Association.
He is also a prolific author whose books include The God-Shaped Brain: How Changing Your View of God Transforms Your Life; Could It Be This Simple? A Biblical Model for Healing the Mind; The Aging Brain: Proven Steps to Prevent Dementia and Sharpen Your Mind; and The God-Shaped Heart: How Correctly Understanding God’s Love Transforms Us.
To hear his presentations and to learn more about Dr. Jennings and his approach to brain and body health, please visit: www.comeandreason.com.
Possible discussion topics for Dr. Jennings:
How do positive social interactions reduce our inflammatory markers?
How does wearing masks contribute to feelings of social isolation?
Explain epigenetic markers and the role they play in our ability to be resilient.
Explain how our life experiences can alter our gene expression and lead to improved resiliency.
Trish Stevens Helen Cook Senior Publicist Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 903.654.0938 Direct 281.333.3507 Office [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com
Why Buddha Never Had Alzheimer’s: The Answer Can Be Found In Med-itation, Yoga And Music
(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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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.
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
Trish Stevens Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 281.333.3507 Main/Office 832.334.2733 Cell [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com
(This press release may be reprinted in part or entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet, or used by any means of social sharing)
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Apocalypse Survivors Groomed For Life At The Edge Of The Solar System
For those who’ve ever tried to imagine a post-apocalyptic Earth, Dr. Donald Hricik has come up with some interesting scenarios of his own in Our Great Escape; Part 1: Dumbers. The year is 2360. Survivors are being groomed for a new life on one of Jupiter’s moons after having been kept alive for centuries on mind-altering drugs.
Here’s the twist. The man picked to head the exodus to the edge of the solar system, a doctor, discovers that these survivors are losing their memories and emotions and even dying in large numbers — the results of a flaw in the drug’s design. The author grapples with larger themes of surviving a man-made planetary catastrophe as well as whether or not life is even worth it if it must be lived on mind-altering drugs that come at great cost. First in a two-part series, Dr. Hricik admits he wrote Our Great Escape while undergoing seismic shifts in his own life.
“I wrote it while I was dealing with my wife’s illness and death from severe dementia,” said Dr. Hricik. “That’s why you see themes of memory loss, dementia and death percolating throughout.”
Born in Ohio, Dr. Hricik is currently Emeritus Professor of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University and served as the Chief of Nephrology and Hypertension at University Hospital’s Cleveland Medical Center from 1993 to 2017. His research interests have focused on complications of immunosuppression and immune monitoring of kidney transplant recipients. He has published more than 180 articles and books, and 35 book chapters. When he’s not writing, he enjoys painting and fishing.
To read more about Dr. Hricik, please visit: https://dhricik.wixsite.com/website-1.
Our Great Escape; Part 1: Dumbers
Kindle Direct Publishing
Released: 2018
ISBN-10: 1981016287
ISBN-13: 978-1981016280
Available from Amazon.com
Trish Stevens Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 281.333.3507 Main/Office 832.334.2733 Cell [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com
(This press release may be reprinted in part or entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet, or used by any means of social sharing)
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Doctor Emerges From Losing Wife To Dementia To Share Compelling Story
Those who have emerged from the experience of caring for and losing a spouse or parent to dementia understand well how difficult the journey is. But for those whose loved one has just been diagnosed, Dr. Donald Hricik’s Lynne’s Last Christmas: A Battle With Dementia may be a helpful companion to have for the difficult journey ahead.
Lynne Hricik was diagnosed with the disease at age 64, and shortly after her death, Dr. Hricik penned Lynne’s Last Christmas within a few weeks as both a way of dealing with his and his family’s grief and to provide information about the disease and about caring for someone with dementia.
“I truly hope this book will provide some comfort to the many others who are caring for someone with this awful thing called dementia. You are not alone,” says Dr. Hricik.
In Lynne’s Last Christmas, Dr. Hricik recalls the last four years of his wife’s life during which she suffered memory loss and frequent falls. He also discusses the impact of her illness upon his children and close friends, and actually debated whether to have his children read the manuscript before it was published. All agreed that they should. “They cried when they read the final draft, but in sharing their thoughts, it brought back memories—both the good times and the bad times—we’d had during Lynne’s life,” he said.
The author also goes into detail about the condition itself. Dementia, he explains, isn’t a specific disease but rather a term that captures the group of symptoms associated with a decline in memory or other thinking skills. Though sometimes confused with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia is the overall group of which Alzheimer’s makes up 60-80 percent of cases.
Dr. Hricik is currently Alzheimer’s disease at Case Western Reserve University and served as the Chief of Nephrology and Hypertension at University Hospital’s Cleveland Medical Center from 1993 to 2017. His research interests have focused on complications of immunosuppression and immune monitoring of kidney transplant recipients. He has published more than 180 articles and books, and 35 book chapters.
Royalties from the book are being donated to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America and to the University Hospitals of Cleveland Hospice Service.
To read more about Dr. Hricik, please visit: https://dhricik.wixsite.com/website-1.
Lynne’s Last Christmas: A Battle With Dementia
Kindle Direct Publishing
Released: December 4, 2018
ISBN-10: 1790751403
ISBN-13: 978-1790751402
Available from Amazon.com
Monica Foster
Senior Publicist
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 2394
Friendswood, TX 77549
Direct: 713.446.8815
Phone: 281.333.3507
Fax: 832.569.5539 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com
(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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The Aging Brain: A Road Map for Keeping A Sharp Mind Into Old Age
Chattanooga, TN ― Growing older is inevitable, but many of the afflictions associated with old age—including dementia, disability and increased dependence on others—don’t have to be. So if you could, would you choose to break the mold of aging?
Psychiatrist and international speaker Timothy R. Jennings, M.D., may have some insights. Dr. Jennings prescribes simple, everyday actions we all can take to stave off disease, promote vitality, and prevent dementia and late-onset Alzheimer’s. “The choices we make now can help us to keep our minds sharp and maintain our independence as we age,” says Jennings.
An easy-to-use guide to maintaining brain and body health throughout life, The Aging Brain is based on solid, up-to-date scientific research, and the interventions discussed may help prevent progression toward dementia, even in those already showing signs of mild cognitive impairment. The recommendations also may help reduce disability and depression.
“This book isn’t just for people hoping to slow the aging process,” says Jennings. “It’s also for anyone who is a caregiver to someone at risk of or already beginning to suffer from dementia. It offers a hopeful, healthy way forward.”
Jennings, who maintains a private practice in Chattanooga, TN, has authored several books, including The God-Shaped Brain and The God-Shaped Heart. He has spent more than two decades researching the interface between biblical principles and modern brain science. A Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and Life Fellow of the Southern Psychiatric Association, Jennings is president and founder of Come and Reason Ministries.
For more information about Dr. Jennings and to hear his lectures, please visit the website: www.comeandreason.com.
The Aging Brain: Proven Steps to Prevent Dementia and Sharpen Your Mind
Baker Books
Release Date: June 19 2018
ISBN-10: 080107522X
ISBN-13: 978-0801075223
