Author: Karen Pischke BSN, RN

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Preventing the Flu

Promoting Optimal Wellness for Mind, Body and Spirit

How to Prevent the Flu – Important information from the Centers  of Disease Control (CDC ) on flu prevention:

1. Avoid close contact.

Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.

2. Stay home when you are sick.

If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. This will help prevent spreading your illness to others.

3. Cover your mouth and nose.

Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick.

4. Clean your hands.

Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.

5. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.

Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.

6. Practice other good health habits.

Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces at home, work or school, especially when someone is ill. *Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat a balanced meal plan of healthy, nutritious food. 

Talk to Your Doctor! Ask for their recommendations regarding flu vaccinations, prevention and treatment.

The Flu Shot and more information about the flu vaccine from Mayo Clinic.

Myths and Misconceptions about the Flu Vaccine – “the vaccine does not cause the flu.”

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’10 Reasons to Eat More Fish’ Contest

GloucesterTEASE™ CONTEST for the Best ‘Healthy Fish Recipe’ 
Beginning ‘Fish Friday’ January 19th on GloucesterTEASE FB, we’ll be posting each day –  “10 Reasons to Eat More Fish.’
Day #1 REASON to EAT MORE FISH – ‘Nature’s Antidepressant’
Essential omega-3 fatty acids found in oily fish (salmon, mackerel and fresh tuna) are important for healthy brain function and “may play a role in maintaining or improving mental health and stability,” according to a study from University of South Australia
CONTEST RULES – Share your favorite healthy seafood recipe here or on FB in comments each day. One recipe entry per day per person. Fish used in recipes must be Atlantic Fresh Fish.
Winner will be announced at the end of the month for the –  ><))))):> ‘Best, Healthiest’ Fish Recipe
#LocalFishFreshFish  #FreshFishAreLocalFish  #FridayNightFishNight #GloucesterMA
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FREE Hypnosis Lecture

Promoting Optimal Wellness for Mind, Body and Spirit

Hypnotherapy; Make Positive Changes Easier. Part of the Common Crow Natural Market ‘Wellness Wednesday’ Series. Wednesday. January 24th.  6 – 7 pm.  At Tree Top Yoga, 3A Pond Rd. Gloucester MA

Free, but Advance Registration Recommended to guarantee your space. To Register Contact – Common Crow Natural Market  at 978-283-1665. For More Information About Hypnosis Contact – 978-283-4258 or Email: info@dreamtimewellness.com.

Resolve to Make Change in this New Year. The new year often brings renewed commitment to make positive lifestyle changes. Hypnotherapy and the use of self-hypnosis can help make it easier to get motivated to make changes, and then make it easier to also stick with the changes.

In this lecture you will learn – About the natural state of hypnosis, hypnotizability, and what to expect in a session. Case studies and evidence-based research will be presented. Questions answered.

How Can Hypnosis Help? What are Your Goals?

In my practice, these are just some of the conditions and issues my clients have sought hypnosis for:

  • Behavioral Changes – Stop Smoking, Reduce Weight, Exercise More, Eat Healthier
  • Personal Growth – More Time For Self, Change Jobs, Learn a New Skill or Language
  • Overcome Fears – Flying, Public Speaking, Test Taking, Stage Performance
  • Improve Athletic Performance – Golf, Mountain Biking, Skiing, Tennis
  • Health Improvement – Stress and Pain Management, Better Blood Pressure
  • Adjunct to Medical Care – Hot flashes, Asthma, Itching, IBS, Prepare for Surgery

Join me for this fun, informative, interactive and relaxing lecture. Everyone that wishes to will have a chance to enjoy relaxation techniques during the presentation. Space is limited. Reserve today!

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Happy Holidays from GloucesterTEASE™

Thank you Gloucester for a Great Year of Love, Peace and Positivity! 

Come to Gloucester, ‘Just for the Halibut’ … and for the FUN of It! 

Willow Rest, Gino Mondello’s Dory Shop and the Gloucester Charter Connection are where you can find this whimsical t-shirt; a little cheeky, a little devilish, and a whole Lot of FUN!  … Just like Gloucester. 😉

Due to popular demand, Santa just dropped off some more of our ‘Come to Gloucester, Just for the Halibut’ shirts at the Willow Rest, 1 Holly St. While there, treat yourself to the delicious prepared foods. Or dine at the old-fashioned deli where sandwiches are named after iconic local spots –  Annisquam Delight, Route 127, Dogtown, etc. Here you can also enjoy fresh produce, a variety of wares from local artisans, lots of holiday treats, and conversation with local characters and tourists alike! Melissa and her crew are the best! 

If it’s fishing you’re interested in, Captain Johnny at Gloucester Charter Connection, 76 Essex Avenue can hook you up with a Giant Tuna! Afterwards, shop in his store and stick around to enjoy the many tourist attractions, restaurants, art, music and theatre to be found on Cape Ann

Stop by the Dory Shop at Harbor Loop. On most Saturdays and be treated to Gloucester’s maritime history along with the sound of celtic music and sea shanties from Gino and his band of local musicians!

Look for more fun items and lots of positivity in the New Year from GloucesterTEASE™ – Where Together Everyone Achieves Something Extraordinary 

Happy Holidays and ‘All the Best’ in the Coming Year! Keep Spreading the LOVE! 

 

 

 

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‘Holiday Blues’ and What You Can Do Improve Your Mood

Wishing everyone a Happy, Healthy Holiday! 

Unfortunately, the holidays are not always a joyful time for everyone. According to one survey by the American Psychological Association (APA), people may experience mixed emotions and increased stress during the holidays.

  • Positive Emotions at the Holidays: Happiness, Love, Connectedness, Higher Energy
  • Negative Emotions at the Holidays: Fatigue, Stress, Irritability, Sadness, Feeling Isolated

Increased Stressors at the Holidays May Include:

  • Overstretched for time/money
  • Pressures of gift giving and family gatherings
  • Staying on a (healthy eating plan)
  • Travel

56% reported they experience the most stress at work.

Social Isolation Can Add to Holiday Blues.

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Rocky Neck Cultural Center – Impromptu Reception Sunday 12/10

Promoting Optimal Wellness for Mind, Body and Spirit

Rocky Neck Cultural Center  “December in November—Giving the Gift of Art!” 
Rocky Neck Art Colony Members’ Fine Art and Crafts Sale

Last Chance to Visit the Holiday Art Show at the Rocky Neck Cultural Center!

 Sunday. December 10. 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. 6 Wonson Street. Gloucester MA. Offerings of Fine Art, Jewelry, Photography, Blown Glass, Calendars, Cards and More.

Impromptu ‘Closing Reception’ from 2 – 4 pm. Sunday, December 10. Join in celebrating the end of the 2017 Season! We are looking forward to future exhibits on Rocky Neck, American’s Oldest Art Colony. Renovations begin soon at the Rocky Neck Cultural Center. Looking forward to the 2018 season at the Rocky Neck Cultural Center and Gallery 53! 

Art is Good Medicine – Creative activities can relieve stress, aid communication, and help arrest cognitive decline. (Harvard Health Publishing, July 2017)

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Community Reiki Share for Open Door

Promoting Optimal Wellness for Mind, Body and Spirit

Community Reiki Share December 5th.

 5:15 pm – 8:15 pm at the Manchester Community Center. 40 Beach St. Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA. On the MBTA Train line. Convenient Parking. Wheelchair accessible.

Reiki Sessions ‘By Donation.’ $20.00 suggested donation. ($10.00 for Seniors, Veterans, those in treatment for cancer.)

Together We Can Do More. Partnering with charitable causes to help others in need.

Advance Register – Email: info@dreamtimewellness.com or call 978-283-4258.

Join Us in helping to bring ‘peace, comfort and calm’ to those in need.

A portion of this month’s proceeds will be donated to Open Door Food Pantry, winner of our #GivingTuesday Contest.

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#GivingTuesday Contest

 

Promoting Optimal Wellness for Mind, Body and Spirit

#Giving Tuesday Contest – Name your favorite Cape Ann Charitable Organization. (one mention per person person here or on FB.) The charity with the most mentions will receive a donation.
“When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.” ― Maya Angelou
Monthly Reiki Shares for Community Service – ‘By Donation’.  Monthly Reiki Shares are held at the Manchester Community Center. 5:15 – 8:15 pm. 1st Tuesdays of the month.
Next Reiki Share – December 5th. Practitioners and non-practitioners enjoy the ‘comfort and calm’ a reiki session has to offer. *Come for the whole evening, or schedule a session in advance to guarantee your space.

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“Big Tobacco Finally Tells the Truth”

Promoting Optimal Wellness for Mind, Body and Spirit

NBC News Report Today – 

  • Smoking kills 1200 people a day.
  • Tobacco companies worked to make cigarettes as addictive as possible.
  • No there no such thing as a safer cigarette.

Big Tobacco “fought for 11 years to delay the truth.” (nbc news.)

Smoking and Nicotine Addiction – Nicotine Addiction is a serious addiction that often requires a combination of treatments (cognitive behavioral therapy, tobacco treatment counseling and medication) to successfully stop smoking and decrease the risks of the harmful effects caused by smoking.

Get Help. Talk to Your Doctor.

Motivation to Stop Smoking: ‘Top 10 Reasons’ to Stop Smoking – (heard from my clients.)

  • My health
  • Health of a loved one
  • More quality time with family/ children/ grandchildren
  • Have more energy
  • Better able to exercise
  • Save money
  • Feel better
  • Breathe easier
  • Sex life will improve
  • Help prevent cancer
  • Help prevent heart disease
  • Easier to walk up stairs
  • Get rid of that nagging cough
  • Get rid of the social stigma
  • Hair, skin and breath will smell better
  • Food will taste better
  • Car will smell better
  • Traveling on planes will be easier
  • I can attend events without have to leave
  • Regain control over your life
  • Enjoy a sense of pride …

What Are Your ‘Reasons to Stop?’ One of these listed above? Or something else? Share your ‘reasons to stop’ with Good Morning Gloucester Friends of Blog (FOB) and help motivate others! 

Already stopped?? Congratulations!!!

Let Good Morning Gloucester Followers Know – What Was ‘Most Helpful’ for Your Success?

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Happy Thanksgiving from Dreamtime Wellness™

Developing a Daily ‘Attitude of Gratitude’ is Good for Your Health.

While we often think to express gratitude at Thanksgiving, cultivating a daily sense of gratitude can improve your health and happiness. Research has shown that a sense of gratitude can improve your: self-esteem, sleep, relationships, empathy, physical and psychological health, resiliency and overall satisfaction with life.

My Role Model for Gratitude – I credit my grandmother with my deep sense of gratitude. A woman of great strength but few material possession, she expressed gratitude in prayer and practice daily. In the almost 24 years I had to privilege to know her, I never heard her express one negative thought or unkind word. Who is your role model for gratitude?

What are you grateful for today? Keeping a daily gratitude journal can help you focus on the positives in your life. Simply write one or two things. Contact me if you’re not sure where to begin. One suggestion I put in almost all of my hypnosis sessions is – “Each time I see the color of the sky, I relax … and feel happy.” Gratitude can be as simple as that.

Today I am especially grateful for my husband, family, friends and neighbors and their good health. I am grateful for work that I love so much it doesn’t feel like ‘work.’ I am grateful to live on Cape Ann, deeply aware of and grateful for the beauty of nature that we are gifted with every day.

Happy Thanksgiving!   ~ Karen Pischke BSN, RN

Recommended Reading: Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach

Your Bridge to Health; Promoting Optimal Wellness for Mind, Body and Spirit

 

Karen Pischke BSN, RN, CCRN Alumnus, Author, Speaker, Nurse Researcher, Certified Hypnotherapist, Tobacco Treatment Specialist, Usui Reiki Teacher/Komyo Shihan. Owner/Founder of Dreamtime Wellness LLC. Your Bridge to Health. Promoting Optimal Wellness for Mind, Body and Spirit. Karen is a registered nurse with a background in critical care nursing, cardiac rehabilitation and risk factor reduction, wellness and integrative healthcare. Incorporating a collaborative, integrative approach, Karen strives to educate and provide evidence-based services and self-care tools that improve health, happiness and wellbeing. www.DreamtimeWellness.com. Find us on Instagram and Facebook

Disclaimer: This blog pro­vides gen­eral infor­ma­tion and dis­cus­sion about health and related sub­jects. The words and other con­tent pro­vided in this blog, and in any linked mate­ri­als, are not intended and should not be con­strued as med­ical advice. If the reader or any other per­son has a med­ical con­cern, he or she should con­sult with an appropriately licensed physi­cian or other health care worker. Never dis­re­gard pro­fes­sional med­ical advice or delay in seek­ing it because of some­thing you have read on this blog or in any linked materials. If you think you may have a med­ical emer­gency, call your doc­tor or 911 immediately. The views expressed on this blog and web­site have no rela­tion to those of any academic, hospital, practice or other insti­tu­tion with which the authors are affiliated.